World Cup fans claim the tournament is RIGGED as Lionel Messi avoids a red card after stamping on rival before scoring hat-trick
World Cup fans took to social media to claim the tournament was rigged after Lionel Messi failed to receive a red card to mark his opponent.
The superstar then scored a stunning hat-trick in Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Algeria in Kansas City on Tuesday night.
However, Messi was quickly embroiled in controversy when he was stamped from behind as Algeria’s Aissa Mandi attempted to tackle his calf and Achilles area.
Mandi fell to the ground and appeared to be in pain, while replays suggested Messi may be at risk of a serious penalty from the referee.
However, the Inter Miami striker was somehow completely released by the Polish referee Szymon Marciniak and the match’s VAR did not control the incident either.
The fact that the Argentinian star was not penalized infuriated the fans watching at home; fans claimed they would have been in trouble if someone else had made the same tackle.
World Cup fans think tournament is rigged as Lionel Messi avoids red card for stamp’s sake
Messi appeared to stamp on Algerian Aissa Mandi’s calf and Achilles from behind
One of them commented: ‘Messi is running away from red. There is no VAR control. Jesus. Just give the cup to Argentina’.
Another wrote: ‘If this was any player other than Messi it would be red.’
A third replied: ‘It is obvious that FIFA will protect Messi again in this World Cup. This should definitely have been a red card. We expect the same thing for (Cristiano) Ronaldo. It will be rigged for them to play against each other.’
‘Shameful. Another wrote that Messi should have seen red but VAR is no longer working.
Another angry fan replied: ‘This should be a red card. Messi stamped his calf. What are we doing?’
‘I love Messi,’ said another, before adding: ‘but he should have gone red there. Even a yellow card is not crazy.’
Messi scored his first World Cup hat-trick as he broke Miroslav Klose’s career tournament scoring record and gave thousands of Argentina fans at Arrowhead Stadium a moment they will never forget.
Messi scored his first goal with a pass from Inter Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul in the first minutes, and his second goal received standing ovations at the beginning of the second half and in the third minutes.
Messi puts Argentina ahead to become second player to score in five World Cups
This trio of goals came 20 years after Messi made his World Cup debut in Germany against Serbia-Montenegro.
He scored a goal in this match as well, making Rosario proud by becoming the second player to score a goal in the five editions of the tournament.
Messi has 16 goals in six World Cup matches and it seems inevitable that Klose’s record will fall in the coming weeks. The hat trick was the 61st and 11th hat trick of his career in the blue-white jersey of the national team.
This was also the fifth consecutive World Cup match in which Messi scored a goal.
‘I can’t find anything to say about Leo. What can I say? He’s incredible,’ Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said.
‘Everyone in football wants to see it and enjoys it.’
