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Algeria have officially lodged a complaint with FIFA over what they described as poor refereeing during their 3-0 defeat to Argentina in the FIFA World Cup 2026, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday (local time).
According to Reuters, the complaint was submitted to FIFA's refereeing commission and highlighted a number of incidents that Algeria believe were not dealt with appropriately during the Group J encounter. One of the key incidents cited in the letter reportedly occurred during the first half when Argentina captain Lionel Messi appeared to step on the calf of Algeria skipper Aissa Mandi, according to Reuters. Fans called for Messi to be sent off after he made contact from behind with a raised boot. However, no disciplinary action was taken against the Argentine captain, who remained on the pitch and later went on to score all three goals in Argentina's victory. As per Reuters, Algeria have also raised concerns over an alleged elbow by Argentina midfielder Alexis Mac Allister on Ibrahim Maza in the second half of the Group J match in Kansas City, which went unpunished by Polish referee Szymon Marciniak. Marciniak, who officiated the 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France, was reportedly close to the incident when Mac Allister appeared to challenge Maza with a raised elbow. Coming to the match, Messi produced a stunning performance as Argentina defeated Algeria 3-0 in their FIFA World Cup 2026 opener, scoring a hat-trick and leading the defending champions in dominant fashion. The Argentine skipper opened the scoring with a powerful long-range effort before doubling the lead with a poacher's finish following a rebound. He completed his hat-trick in the 76th minute with a composed curling strike to seal the win for the defending champions. The hat-trick was Messi's first in FIFA World Cup history and saw him draw level with Germany's Miroslav Klose as the joint-highest scorer in men's World Cup history with 16 goals. The milestone came just days before Messi's 39th birthday and exactly 20 years after he scored his first World Cup goal in 2006. Making his 200th appearance for Argentina, Messi produced a vintage display of creativity, control and finishing to guide La Albiceleste to a convincing victory. Argentina will next face Austria in Dallas on Monday, while Algeria are scheduled to take on Jordan in San Francisco. (ANI)
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