Mikel John Obi blames Ronaldo fans for Argentina-FIFA conspiracy theories ahead of England semi-final

John Obi Mikel has dismissed widespread conspiracy theories that FIFA are manipulating the 2026 World Cup in Argentina’s favour, laying the blame squarely at the door of Cristiano Ronaldo’s online fanbase ahead of England’s semi-final against the defending champions on Wednesday.

Speaking on The Rest Is Football alongside Gary Lineker, Lucy Bronze and Joe Cole, the former Chelsea midfielder was unequivocal: “No, I’m not buying into that bull****, this is all the Ronaldo fans coming up with all of this crap. FIFA are not favouring Messi. Messi is doing his job, he’s playing, he’s scoring goals and he’s breaking records.”

The theories gained traction following Argentina’s 3-2 round-of-16 victory over Egypt, in which VAR overturned Mostafa Ziko’s goal-of-the-tournament contender for a foul on Lisandro Martinez judged to have occurred roughly 100 yards from the ball. Critics argued the decision reflected an institutional desire to see Lionel Messi defend the title Argentina won in Qatar four years ago.

John Obi Mikel rejected that framing entirely. “Argentina did their job, they won their games, and they got into the easier group,” he said. “If they [Portugal] won their games, which they should have done, they wouldn’t have played tougher teams. This is all Ronaldo fans.”

He also questioned whether Ronaldo himself had been a hindrance to Portugal’s campaign, suggesting a braver managerial call might have served the team better — though he stopped short of a definitive verdict.

England now face the task of navigating both Argentina and the noise surrounding them. Thomas Tuchel’s side meet Lionel Scaloni’s squad at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium at 8pm on Wednesday, with a place in Sunday’s final against Spain — who beat France 2-0 on Tuesday — at stake.

For England, the occasion carries the weight of six decades of near-misses. The Three Lions have not appeared in a World Cup final since 1966, the year they lifted the trophy with a 4-2 extra-time victory over West Germany. Ending that wait would require overcoming the reigning world champions and, if John Obi Mikel is to be believed, nothing more sinister than that.