Is Argentina Receiving Preferential Treatment at the World Cup?

Are Argentina being treated favourably at World – Argentina have advanced to the quarter-finals following hard-fought 3-2 victories in their opening two knockout matches. Rather than cruising through as expected against Cape Verde and Egypt, La Albiceleste found themselves battling for every point in their quest to defend the World Cup crown.

The triumph over Egypt carried additional significance, as the African side formally requested that Fifa remove the match officials from the tournament. Egypt have put forward claims of bias benefiting Argentina, particularly in relation to their legendary forward Lionel Messi.

Egypt’s Frustration Grows

Following the contest, Egyptian manager Hossam Hassan voiced his dissatisfaction with the proceedings. He stated that his team had been “treated unfairly” and “suffered injustice” during the encounter. Hassan extended his criticism beyond the referee, suggesting broader Fifa involvement.

“Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running,” he said.

BBC Sport has investigated whether these conspiracy theories hold any weight, examining whether circumstances appear stacked in Argentina’s favor.

A Dramatic Comeback

It is understandable why Egypt emerged from the match so disappointed after Tuesday’s 3-2 loss. The Pharaohs had dominated proceedings, leading 2-0 with just eleven minutes remaining on the clock. They stood on the verge of securing their first-ever quarter-final appearance in World Cup history.

However, Argentina produced a remarkable turnaround, storming back to level the scores before finding a winner in stoppage time. Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan received a booking for his protests during the match.

Egypt believe the outcome was influenced by more than just football. They attributed their elimination to “serious refereeing mistakes” and “double standards” displayed by French official Francois Letexier and his assistant team.

VAR Controversies

Several contentious VAR decisions featured prominently in Egypt’s complaints. Mostafa Zico scored a brilliant goal that was subsequently disallowed after Marwan Attia was penalized for stepping on Lisandro Martinez’s foot during the build-up. While controversial, Egypt were still leading 1-0 at that stage and went on to score a second goal nine minutes later.

Before Enzo Fernandez headed home the decisive goal, Egypt believed they had two potential penalty appeals. Hamdi Fathy claimed he was held by Alexis Mac Allister, though replays showed the incident was unclear. Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah felt Julian Alvarez tripped him. Both situations involved foot-on-foot contact, but neither met the threshold for a penalty award.

Egypt would have had a stronger case for disallowing Argentina’s winner had Salah been positioned outside the penalty area. In that scenario, the VAR would have been evaluating a simple foul rather than a potential penalty situation.

Controversial? Absolutely. But it is hardly proof of a conspiracy in favour of Messi.

Argentine Officials in Quarter-Final

Adding fuel to the fire, Argentina’s own officials have been appointed for Thursday’s quarter-final clash between France and Morocco. This marks the first time at this World Cup that the entire on-field officiating team—referee, both assistants, fourth official, and reserve—come from the same nation.

In Facundo Tello’s previous two appointments at this tournament, the fourth official and reserve had been from Saudi Arabia and Colombia respectively. Critics argue that Argentina would naturally prefer France, the tournament favorites, to be eliminated.

Tello is experiencing his second consecutive World Cup quarter-final, making this one of the most significant matches of his career. While high-profile referees typically maintain the utmost integrity, perception remains crucial, and the appointment of Argentine officials against France certainly raises eyebrows.

Messi and the Red Card Comparison

Another incident that has surfaced involves Lionel Messi’s recent challenge. At the tournament’s outset, Messi escaped a potential red card for his tackle on Algeria captain Aissa Mandi, receiving no booking despite making contact. More recently, United States forward Folarin Balogun was sent off for a similar challenge against Bosnia.

Both players made contact on the opponent’s upper calf area. The United States have reportedly raised this comparison while campaigning for Balogun’s suspension to be overturned. Had Messi been shown a red card, he would have missed his second goal in the match.