Lionel Messi escaped punishment for what appeared to be a stamp on Algeria’s Aissa Mandi during Argentina’s opening World Cup match in Kansas City on Tuesday night, with fans taking to social media in fury to claim the tournament is being manipulated to protect football’s biggest stars.
The incident occurred as Messi attempted a tackle on Mandi, his foot appearing to make contact with the Algerian’s calf and Achilles area from behind. Mandi went down in apparent pain, and replays suggested the Inter Miami forward was at serious risk of being dismissed. But Polish referee Szymon Marciniak took no action, and VAR did not appear to review the incident at any point.
The reaction online was swift and intense. “Messi escaping red. No VAR check. Jesus. Just give Argentina the trophy,” one fan wrote. Another posted: “If that was any player besides Messi it would’ve been red.” A third argued: “It’s so obvious that FIFA is going to protect Messi again this World Cup. That should have easily been a red card. Expect the same with Ronaldo. It’s going to be rigged for them to play against each other.” Other reactions included: “Disgraceful. Messi should get a red but VAR doesn’t work anymore,” and: “I love Messi, but he should have got a red there. Not even a yellow card is wild.”
The controversy came on what was otherwise a night of history-making for the 38-year-old, who scored the opening goal after 17 minutes with a breathtaking solo run and powerful finish past goalkeeper Luca Zidane to give Argentina a 1-0 lead. The strike made Messi only the second player ever to score in five separate World Cup tournaments, joining Cristiano Ronaldo, who achieved the feat in 2022 and is set to play in his own sixth World Cup on Wednesday. Messi had a second goal disallowed for offside earlier in the match. The goal was his 14th at World Cups and came in his 200th international appearance for Argentina, his record sixth appearance at a World Cup finals.
Thousands of fans in Messi’s iconic number 10 jersey filled Arrowhead Stadium on the outskirts of Kansas City, home to the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, for the occasion. Messi, who turns 39 next week, had been managing a minor hamstring injury in the build-up to the tournament but showed no ill effects having played 20 minutes, including a penalty, in a friendly against Iceland last week.
