Cristiano Ronaldo’s account ‘liked’ a video claiming FIFA helped Argentina in the World Cup.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Instagram account seemed to “like” a post that called FIFA “one of the most corrupt institutions on planet earth” after Argentina made it to the World Cup final.
This summer, Ronaldo played his last World Cup for Portugal, who were knocked out by Spain in the round of 16. Argentina, on the other hand, reached Sunday’s final in New Jersey after a controversial run, including a famous 3-2 win over Egypt in the round of 16.
Egypt’s coach, Hossam Hassan, even accused FIFA of favoring Lionel Messi, especially after several decisions went against Egypt, like a goal being disallowed for a foul. He said, “It’s all about money. They want Messi to stay in the tournament. Egypt deserved to qualify. We were the better team.”
More doubts surfaced when Argentina got help from VAR to reduce Switzerland to 10 players in the quarter-final, and several calls went their way against England in the semi-final. In the middle of all this, Ronaldo liked a post from Spanish news channel Espejo Publico, suggesting FIFA was giving Argentina special treatment.
In the video shared before Sunday’s final, Spanish journalist Pilar Rodriguez Losantos said, “Argentina should have been out at least five matches ago. They’re only still here thanks to help from FIFA, which is one of the most corrupt institutions on earth. I’m not afraid of Argentina, but I’m more afraid of Gianni Infantino. It feels like we’re playing against FIFA, not just Argentina, and they want to give the World Cup to Messi.”
Ruben Amon, who was also on the show, called FIFA a “mafia” and said it’s a “shameful organization.” He added, “Football used to be for everyone, but now ticket prices have made it a game just for the rich. FIFA’s actions are disturbing, but football still lives on. We’ll enjoy the match, just not because of FIFA.”
Earlier this month, Ronaldo’s dream of winning football’s biggest prize ended in Dallas when Portugal lost to Spain. After the match, the 41-year-old confirmed it was his last World Cup. He said, “I’m sad to leave like this, but I gave my all. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. You have to keep going. This was my last World Cup, and now I’ll take time to think and be with my family before making any decisions.”