Algeria send FIFA complaint alleging Messi should have been sent off before World Cup hat-trick

Algeria have lodged a formal complaint with FIFA over the officiating in their 3-0 World Cup defeat to Argentina, alleging that Lionel Messi escaped a red card before scoring his first hat-trick at the tournament. Reuters, citing a source with direct knowledge of the matter, reported on Friday that the complaint also highlights an elbow to the face that Ibrahim Maza received from Alexis Mac Allister during the same match.

The controversy centres on a first-half challenge in which Messi stood on the calf of Algeria captain Aissa Mandi. Referee Szymon Marciniak — who took charge of the 2022 World Cup final — did not show Messi even a yellow card. Messi had already opened the scoring by that point and went on to complete the hat-trick as Argentina cruised to victory.

Algeria’s complaint alleges both Messi and Mac Allister should have been punished. Marciniak was reportedly within a metre of Mac Allister when the midfielder caught Maza with his elbow, yet no action was taken.

The incident has drawn wider attention after South Africa head coach Hugo Broos referenced it while explaining his side’s decision to appeal a three-match suspension handed to Themba Zwane for violent conduct. Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Broos said: “When I see what happened with Messi, I don’t agree, certainly not, with what happened to my player. I don’t want Messi to get a red card, because a player of that quality has to be on the pitch as you saw against Algeria, but what was the difference between that and Zwane?”

Former FIFA-listed referee Mark Halsey also weighed in, arguing Messi’s challenge warranted punishment. “Messi did endanger the player’s safety, Aissa Mandi,” Halsey told The Sun. “When you look at the incident, the ball is not within playing distance, so it’s not serious foul play. It has to be violent conduct because it comes down as a stamp. I was really surprised that VAR didn’t recommend a review, especially when you go back to the opening game — Mexico vs South Africa — when Themba Zwane was adjudged to have committed an act of violent conduct and VAR recommended an on-field review.”

Halsey’s remarks underline a growing sense of inconsistency in how VAR has been applied during the tournament, with the Zwane case — where intervention led to a red card and subsequent ban — now being directly contrasted with the Messi incident, where no review was triggered at all.