Messi escapes red card, opponent sues referee at FIFA.

Reuters, citing a source familiar with the matter, reported that the Algerian national team has filed a complaint with the International Football Federation (FIFA) regarding the referee's decision in their 0-3 defeat to Argentina. World Cup 2026In it, Algeria refers to the incident in the first half when Lionel Messi fouled captain Aissa Mandi.

The controversial incident occurred in the 32nd minute. Lionel Messi appeared to have used the sole of his boot to strike his opponent's calf. Referee Szymon Marciniak only blew the whistle and did not issue a card to Messi. VAR did not intervene in this incident.

Algerian fans unanimously demanded Messi be sent off after the collision. However, the Argentine superstar received no punishment. He even went on to score a hat-trick, helping the South American team secure the victory.

Algeria also argued that midfielder Alexis Mac Allister should have been penalized for elbowing Ibrahim Maza in the face in the second half. However, the Polish referee – who was less than a meter away from the incident – ​​made no decision in the matter.

Algeria's complaint raises questions about the officiating of referee Marciniak and the VAR team led by Tomasz Kwiatkowski.

Video: Messi scores a hat-trick in the match against Algeria

The incident was also mentioned by South Africa coach Hugo Broos when he was asked about the three-match suspension given to midfielder Themba Zwane after his red card in the match against Mexico.

"When I look at what happened with MessiI really disagree with how my player was treated. In that situation, the Mexican player was blocking my player's path. Themba was just trying to get past him and put his hand on his shoulder. That's all.

And yet he received a red card and a three-match suspension? Sorry, but that's too harsh. I didn't want Messi to get a red card, because a player of his caliber should be playing, as everyone saw in the Algeria game. But what's the difference between that situation and Zwane's?", the Belgian coach asked.