A formal complaint has been made to FIFA about Lionel Messi after the game in Algeria.
Reports say a formal complaint has been made against Lionel Messi after the World Cup match between Argentina and Algeria. Messi, now tied as the top scorer in World Cup history with Miroslav Klose, grabbed the spotlight on Wednesday by scoring a hat-trick in Argentina’s strong 3-0 win over Algeria.
However, the Algerian team wasn’t happy with how Messi played during the game. The Algerian Football Federation (FAF) has officially complained to FIFA about some refereeing decisions in their Group J game, including one involving Messi.
The Athletic reported the main issue was a tackle by Messi in the 30th minute that caught Aissa Mandi on the calf and Achilles tendon with his studs up. The referee, Szymon Marciniak from Poland, gave Algeria a free kick but didn’t give Messi a card between his first and second goals, which upset the Algerian side. The complaint also points out two other incidents, one with Alexis Mac Allister appearing to hit Hadj Moussa with an elbow, and another involving Ibrahim Maza.
This complaint raises questions about the referee’s and VAR team’s decisions. Algeria’s coach, Vladimir Petkovic, said after the match, “It’s no use talking about what might have been, but everyone saw it, including me.”
On another note, South African player Themba Zwane received a three-match ban for violent conduct after getting a straight red card late in their World Cup game against Mexico. South Africa’s coach, Hugo Broos, mentioned Messi’s situation when asked about Zwane’s ban.
He said, “When I see what happened with Messi, I definitely don’t agree with what happened to my player. The Mexican player blocked him, and Themba just tried to get past with his arm on the shoulder. That’s all. And then a red card and a three-game ban? That’s way too harsh.
“I don’t want Messi to get a red card because a player of his talent should be on the field, as we saw against Algeria. But what was the difference between his situation and Zwane’s?” he asked.