Lionel Messi Horror Foul Subject of Formal Complaint to FIFA

The Argentina icon avoided a red card and went on to score a hat-trick.

Lionel Messi may have been fortunate to avoid red. | Tom Weller/picture alliance/Getty Images

The Algerian Football Federation (FAF) has reportedly filed a formal complaint to FIFA over the refereeing of the team’s 3–0 defeat to Argentina in its World Cup opener, with a foul from Lionel Messi of particular concern.

Messi, who opened the scoring after 17 minutes, went on to add another two goals to seal the victory, but was perhaps fortunate to still be on the pitch after an ugly challenge on the half-hour mark.

The Inter Miami forward went to tackle Aïssa Mandi and caught the Algerian on the back of the calf with his studs. Referee Szymon Marciniak blew for a foul but did not punish Messi further, and the VAR did not suggest an on-field review.

According to Reuters, the FAF has now raised concerns with FIFA about the performance of Marciniak, who is also accused of failing to correctly punish a further two challenges.

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Should Messi Have Seen Red?

The replays did not look good for Messi. | Tom Weller/picture alliance/Getty Images

When slowed down, Messi’s challenge on Mandi was ugly. His entire sole, studs and all, makes contact with the back of the Algerian’s calf and Achilles.

Connecting with an opponent in such a manner certainly sounds like a red-card offense, and you would struggle to find many fans that would argue otherwise. It is for that reason that the VAR’s decision not to suggest an on-field review is surprising.

Marciniak, the referee from the finals of both the 2022 World Cup and 2023 Champions League, may well not have seen the incident in real time, but the VAR undoubtedly will have watched the footage back several times before declining to intervene.

What is likely to have worked in Messi’s favor is the lack of intent or aggression. It was an ugly tackle but was clearly not deliberate, and the lack of reaction from the Algerian players around him suggests few actually felt it deserving of a red card at the time.

The question asked about this foul is whether this was a case of serious foul play, which involves either endangering a player’s safety or using excessive force. Clearly, this was not an example of the latter and the officials did not believe it met the threshold for the former either.

That being said, Marciniak’s decision not to hand out a yellow card at the very least was somewhat of a surprise, although his view of the incident at the time is unclear. The VAR cannot recommend the awarding of a yellow.

The officials’ leniency allowed Messi to go on and complete a famous hat-trick to tie Miroslav Klose as the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history, and the absence of any suspension means he is primed to claim the record for himself when Argentina next takes to the field against Austria on June 22.

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