Messi Should Have Been Sent Off Against Algeria, Moreno Says After World Cup Saga

Venezuelan former footballer, Alejandro Moreno has claimed that Lionel Messi was fortunate to avoid a red card during Argentina’s 3-0 win over Algeria at the FIFA World Cup, insisting the superstar’s challenge on defender Aissa Mandi warranted a dismissal.

Naija News reports that Messi stole the headlines with a hat-trick as Argentina cruised into the next stage of the tournament, but a controversial first-half incident has since become the subject of heated debate.

Around the half-hour mark, Mandi was left in pain after Messi lunged into a challenge with his studs raised, catching the Algerian defender on the calf. Despite protests from players and visible concern over the tackle, Polish referee Szymon Marciniak allowed play to continue without showing a card.

The decision stunned many watching the match, particularly after replays appeared to show significant contact. Messi remained on the pitch and went on to score twice after the break, completing his hat-trick and sealing a comfortable win for the reigning world champions.

Moreno, 46, was among the strongest critics of the officiating, arguing that the incident highlighted what he described as a tendency for football’s biggest stars to receive favourable treatment.

“It’s 100% a red card for Lionel Messi,” Moreno said on ESPN. “It should’ve been. I’ll tell you what else is concerning and it plays along with this narrative that great players get preferential treatment.

“When he was about to score a hat-trick and goalkeeper [Luca] Zidane made a save, they showed [Gianni] Infantino smiling as if to say ‘that was close’. And it does play into that narrative of, ‘oh yeah, this guy’s getting a different sort of treatment’.”

The former player also questioned why the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) did not advise Marciniak to review the incident on the pitch-side monitor.

He added, “We don’t even have to see the still, if you see the live video, it felt like a bad challenge to begin with. Then you see the replay, and this is a bad challenge. Somebody has to take a look at this. Why was the referee Szymon Marciniak not called over to review it?

“It should have been a red card for Lionel Messi. As much as I love Lionel Messi, that was a clumsy challenge, a bad challenge and you’re raking the back of somebody’s calf all the way up from the knee down to his ankle. It should have been a red card.”

The controversy has gained further attention because Marciniak was also the referee in Argentina’s dramatic victory over France in the 2022 World Cup final.