Akanji accuses World Cup referees of 'giving Argentina everything' ahead of England semi-final

Manuel Akanji has accused World Cup referees of favouring Argentina after Switzerland’s 3-1 extra-time quarter-final defeat, issuing an implicit warning to England ahead of their semi-final against the reigning champions in Atlanta on Wednesday.

The former Manchester City defender did not hold back in his assessment of referee Joao Pedro Silva Pinheiro’s performance. “Every little thing was called against us,” Akanji said. “Every dive and every foul by the Argentinians went unpunished. I don’t usually say anything against the officials, but I’ve never experienced such a one-sided game as today.”

The match turned on a contentious moment in the second half when Switzerland striker Breel Embolo was shown a second yellow card following a VAR review. Argentina’s Leandro Paredes had initially been booked for a foul on Embolo, but the new ‘mistaken identity’ rule was applied after replays suggested there had been no contact — transferring the yellow card from Paredes to Embolo. Already on a booking, Embolo was dismissed, leaving Switzerland to play out the remainder of the match with ten men.

Switzerland head coach Murat Yakin described the rule that led to the red card as “unacceptable”. Despite the numerical disadvantage, Switzerland held Argentina to 1-1 before eventually conceding twice in extra time to lose 3-1.

Akanji remained proud of his side’s effort. “As soon as the game was over, I thought: I’m so proud of our team,” he said. “We played against the world champions, and they didn’t stand a chance. If the game had continued 11 against 11, it would have likely gone in our favour.”

The officiating controversy is not isolated to the Switzerland match. Argentina have faced scrutiny at multiple points in the tournament. Lautaro Martinez appeared to escape a second yellow card after jumping a barrier in celebration during the closing minutes of extra time, while a VAR ruling in the round of 16 against Egypt disallowed a goal that would have put the Pharaohs 2-0 ahead — a decision that drew widespread debate. Argentina ultimately recovered from 1-0 down to win that match with three late goals from Cristian Romero, Lionel Messi, and Enzo Fernandez.

England reached the semi-final with a 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway, and now face a side that has navigated its own share of officiating storms on the way to the final four.