World Cup fans took to social media to claim the tournament is rigged after Lionel Messi avoided a red card for a stamp on an opponent, Daily Mail reports.
The superstar then went on to score a stunning hat-trick in Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Algeria in Kansas City on Tuesday night.
But Messi quickly became embroiled in controversy after he appeared to stamp on the calf and Achilles area of Algeria’s Aissa Mandi from behind while he tried to make a tackle.
Mandi went down and looked to be in pain before replays suggested Messi may have been at risk of serious punishment from the referee.
But the Inter Miami forward was somehow let off entirely by Polish referee Szymon Marciniak, while the game’s VAR also didn’t appear to check the incident.
The lack of punishment imposed on the Argentine star infuriated fans watching at home, who claimed if anybody else had made the same tackle they would have been in trouble.
One commented: “Messi escaping red. No VAR check. Jesus. Just give Argentina the trophy.”
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Another posted: “If that was any player besides Messi it would’ve been red.”
A third replied: “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 (Cristiano) Ronaldo. It’s going to be rigged for them to play against each other.”
“Disgraceful. Messi should get a red but VAR doesn’t work anymore,” another wrote.
Another angry fan responded: “That should be a red card. Messi stamped on his calf. What are we doing?”
“I love Messi,” another declared before adding “but he should have got a red there. Not even a yellow card is wild.”
Messi delivered his first World Cup hat trick while matching Miroslav Klose’s career tournament scoring record, giving thousands of Argentina fans packed inside of Arrowhead Stadium a moment they will never forget.
Messi scored his first goal in the opening minutes off a pass from Inter Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul, the second early in the second half, and the third moments before being taken off to a standing ovation.
The trio of goals came 20 years to the day that Messi made his World Cup debut in a match against Serbia and Montenegro in Germany.
He scored in that one, too – and made the pride of Rosario only the second player to score in five editions of the tournament.
Messi has 16 goals in his six World Cup appearances, and it seems inevitable that Klose’s record will fall in the coming weeks. The hat trick was the 61st of his career and his 11th while playing in the blue-and-white kit of the national team.
It also was the fifth straight World Cup game in which Messi has scored.
