Argentina’s gamers have fun after successful the 2026 World Cup soccer event quarter-final match between Argentina and Switzerland on the Kansas Metropolis Stadium in Kansas Metropolis on July 11, 2026. (Photograph by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP)
Lionel Messi’s brilliance has helped carry Argentina right into a blockbuster World Cup semifinal with England in Atlanta on Wednesday.
However the defending champions’ journey to the final 4 has been engulfed by on-line conspiracy theories claiming — with out proof — that the taking part in discipline has been tilted in its favor.
Social media is awash with AI-generated movies and memes that amplify this narrative, whether or not it’s FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Messi sharing a loving embrace on the deck of the Titanic within the fashion of Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, or just Infantino’s face being superimposed on the coronary heart of the Solar of Might on the heart of Argentina’s flag.
READ: World Cup will get set for blockbuster semifinals
From contentious refereeing selections to claims of being handed a sort draw to the ultimate, AFP breaks down the primary incidents which have given rise to the conspiracy theories:
Messi escapes crimson
In Argentina’s group stage win over Algeria, with the South People main 1-0, captain Lionel Messi raked his studs down the best calf and Achilles tendon of Algeria skipper Aissa Mandi within the thirtieth minute.
Polish referee Szymon Marciniak gave Algeria a free-kick however Messi obtained no additional sanction and would go on to attain a hat-trick.
A number of pundits nonetheless had been adamant that Messi had been responsible of great foul play and underneath the letter of the regulation, ought to have been proven a crimson card that will have led to a suspension.
“It ought to have been a crimson card in my view,” stated ESPN pundit and former Manchester Metropolis defender Nedum Onuoha.
“Messi knew he did one thing that might have gotten him in bother. I personally really feel it’s a crimson card.”
Former Bundesliga referee Patrick Ittrich agreed: “For me, that could be a crimson card. We’ve got varied examples from the Bundesliga the place that was punished with a crimson. By the letter of the regulation, that could be a crimson. If I had seen it like that on the pitch, I’d have proven crimson.”
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Algeria’s soccer federation subsequently filed an official grievance to Fifa over “refereeing injustice” within the sport.
Egypt cries foul
Argentina produced one of many all-time nice comebacks to maintain their World Cup marketing campaign alive within the final 16 in opposition to Egypt, recovering from a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2 and attain the quarterfinals.
However Egypt’s gamers and training workers had been outraged by a number of selections by French referee Francois Letexier that went in Argentina’s favor at key moments.
The most important post-game speaking level surrounded a objective scored by Egypt within the second half which was disallowed after an intervention by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), who had noticed a foul on an Argentina participant a number of phases earlier than Egypt’s Mostafa Zico put the ball within the web, on the different finish of the pitch.
A number of analysts questioned whether or not VAR had overstepped its attain.
“VAR was taking a look at one thing too deeply and on the lookout for one thing that has occurred within the sport to attempt to cancel the Egypt objective,” former Fifa referee Mark Clattenburg stated.
Egyptian coach Hossam Hassan additionally claimed that Egypt ought to have been awarded a penalty within the build-up to Enzo Fernandez’s late winner for Argentina.
“There appears to have been strain on the Argentinian facet on the referee that has caused this final result,” Hassan stated.
“Maybe they wished to maintain the world champions within the competitors?” he advised BeIn Sports activities.
“Maybe they wished Messi to remain within the operating? In soccer, there are generally exterior elements that transcend the technical features.”
FIFA referees’ chief Pierluigi Collina rejected the Egyptian allegations as “unfounded.”
Pivotal VAR name
One other pivotal VAR name helped form the result of Argentina’s 3-1 extra-time quarter-final win over Switzerland on in Kansas Metropolis on Saturday.
Within the seventieth minute, referee Joao Pinheiro gave Argentina’s Leandro Paredes a yellow card for a foul on Breel Embolo, shortly after Switzerland had equalised at 1-1 and had been dominating the weary world champions.
Nevertheless a VAR intervention utilizing Fifa’s new mistaken id rule decided that Embolo had initiated the foul in an act of simulation and the decision was overturned. But as a result of Embolo had already obtained a yellow card, he was proven a crimson and despatched off — leaving Switzerland right down to 10-men and halting their momentum. Argentina would on to safe victory in extra-time.
“We had been punished due to a rule that, in my view, is totally unacceptable,” Swiss coach Murat Yakin stated afterwards.
Many commentators although level out that Embolo was rightly punished for a transparent dive.
“If you wish to argue Fifa is rigging the World Cup for Lionel Messi and Argentina, and a few of you might be hellbent on doing simply that, you’re going to should do higher than this,” wrote USA At this time columnist Nancy Armour.
A form draw?
Critics of Argentina’s run to the semi-finals cite the rating of their opponents as proof of favouritism by Fifa.
To this point, Argentina has not needed to face a staff ranked increased than nineteenth on the planet heading into their conflict with England on Wednesday. After topping a bunch that included Algeria, Jordan and Austria, Argentina’s knockout spherical opponents had been Cape Verde, Egypt and Switzerland.
However that is due largely to Fifa’s choice to seed the highest 4 groups on the planet in such a manner that will hold them aside till the semifinals.
England has not confronted a staff ranked within the prime 10 up to now, whereas France did should play seventh-ranked Morocco within the quarterfinals.
Spain has had the toughest path to the semifinals, needing to beat fifth-ranked Portugal and Belgium (ninth) on their option to the final 4.
