Argentina controversy solved as referee decides not to follow strict FIFA rule in Cape Verde World Cup win
Here’s the story behind why the referee didn’t use one of FIFA’s new rules during Argentina’s World Cup match against Cape Verde.
The world champions played one of the smallest teams ever to appear in a World Cup in Miami, in a thrilling five-goal game that Argentina won. Lionel Messi, the World Cup’s top scorer, opened the scoring with his 20th goal, but Cape Verde’s Deroy Duarte surprised everyone by equalizing and pushing the game into extra time.
Argentina’s Lisandro Martinez put his team ahead again with a great finish, but Sidny Lopes Cabral scored an amazing goal to make it 2-2. Then, Diney accidentally scored an own goal from a Cristian Romero header, sending Argentina into the next round.
The referee, Drew Fischer’s performance came under the spotlight because many fans noticed he didn’t apply one of the new World Cup rules. Referees’ chief Pierluigi Collina introduced several new rules, including strict punishments for players who cover their mouths during arguments and rules to stop time-wasting, like a five-second limit for goal kicks and throw-ins.
Another important rule says players who get medical treatment for an injury must leave the field for one minute and can only come back after that time. But during the Argentina vs Cape Verde match, this didn’t happen.
Argentina’s defender Nicolas Tagliafico needed treatment for a bloody nose after a clash and also had to change his shirt. This happened while Cape Verde had a corner kick, and many thought Cape Verde should have had a one-player advantage. Instead, the game waited until Tagliafico returned to the field to take the corner.
A video showing this went viral with over 23 million views, and many fans were puzzled about why Cape Verde had to wait. On social media, people were upset: some said the referee broke the rule to avoid putting Argentina at a disadvantage. Others called it unfair and criticized the referee for not adding enough stoppage time.
However, according to the official IFAB Laws of the Game, if a player is bleeding, they must leave the field immediately and can only return after the referee is sure the bleeding has stopped and their uniform is clean. Because this rule focuses on the bleeding, the one-minute requirement doesn’t apply here, so waiting for Tagliafico was actually the right call.
Still, the lack of added time after the break caused frustration among fans.