Debate over Argentina's refereeing at World Cup intensifies

If you have been active on social media recently, you may have come across the uproar regarding the allegedly favourable refereeing that Argentina has received during the 2026 World Cup.

It's advisable to step back from the online frenzy and recognise it for the exaggerated reaction that it is. It resembles observing the Dancing Plague of 1518 from a distance. Are those people…alright?

By stepping outside the monetised blue-tick bubble, which features some bizarre references to Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel that are as absurd as they are antisemitic (the overlap between Cristiano Ronaldo fans and the manosphere is quite striking, isn’t it?), you’ll notice that this conspiracy theory has spread beyond its usual confines.

The BBC has brought in their chief rules expert Dale Johnson to ponder, “Are Argentina being treated favourably at the World Cup?”

This probably isn't the type of coverage FIFA anticipated for their premier tournament, but they must accept a significant portion of the blame for the rampant suspicion and speculation.

Having already muddled the lines of its own disciplinary process, FIFA should not be surprised that every contentious refereeing decision is now met with allegations of something more nefarious.

However, all the noise surrounding Argentina overlooks the fact that, when analysing their campaign thus far, there have not been any glaring officiating errors. Nothing that would prompt PGMOL to issue an apology had it occurred in the Premier League.

There’s nothing as utterly baffling as the penalty Kylian Mbappe was denied against Senegal, or the penalty Ghana was not awarded against England. Imagine if those incidents had involved a player wearing an Argentina shirt.

This is the issue when attempting to weave a narrative from unrelated events. FIFA is pro-England, apparently? They favour Senegal, but not Ghana? And, wait, they’re against France too? Just disregard the two penalties awarded to Les Bleus in the last World Cup final.

If you try to piece it all together, Charlie Kelly style, you might realise how absurd this all is.

The incompetence of referees, including the video assistants, is far more plausible than Gianni Infantino having a quiet word in their ears.

It is true that Lionel Messi could have been sent off for raking his studs down the calf of an opponent in the opener. However, replays indicated that there wasn’t much force behind the action. You could call it an orange card.

Such incidents have been given, certainly, but we’ve also seen players escape similar offences, including some with worse actions against Argentina in this very tournament.

Setting aside the chaos that followed Folarin Balogun’s red card for now, the fact that the original decision was so contentious and debated – not only by clueless Americans like Donald Trump – indicates that such incidents are not straightforward.

What else is there?

Egypt had a goal disallowed after winning the ball with a clear foul on Lisandro Martinez. They also had two penalty appeals dismissed just before Argentina’s late match-winner. Replays showed those appeals to be completely laughable.

Switzerland striker Breel Embolo received a red card due to a strange VAR quirk that we’ve seen used in this tournament to give Miguel Almiron a yellow card. Poor Miggy would face another new rule in the next match.

So what are we left with here, exactly?

Messi clearly avoided a booking against Algeria.

And Argentina, while not to the same extent as Paraguay against France, have likely benefited from some relatively lenient officiating. They could have easily accumulated more bookings, as noted by the BBC.

Argentina may have received a few more yellow cards, then. That’s it? Get Oliver Stone on the phone immediately. We’ve got the screenplay for the next JFK.

Returning to those who reside on planet earth, who presumably don’t spend their time having their brains muddled by Elon Musk’s X, this Argentina ‘scandal’ has been met with the collective indifference it warrants.

“I honestly don’t understand why you ask me about the controversy surrounding the referee in the Argentina vs. Egypt match. Where did that even come from?” remarked Spain manager Luis de la Fuente.

“I watched the game and I thought the referee got everything right. I’d actually like to congratulate him because every decision he made was spot on.”

France manager Didier Deschamps agreed, praising the officiating in the Argentina vs Egypt match: “We have to deal with it. I trust the referees. Our opponent is Morocco, not the referee. Let’s hope ours are as good as Monsieur Letexier was.”

Much was made of an Argentinian officiating team overseeing France’s quarter-final, but the match passed without any controversy. Just trying to throw us off the scent, those crafty officials.

Richard Keys, however, senses something amiss: “Is no one else going to say it? I have been since its introduction – the best & easiest way to fix a football match is with VAR. It goes on in plain sight – ask Egypt.”

Keys continued in the following days, tweeting: “Pierluigi Collina insists no one is trying to get Argentina into another final. Ok. That’s it then. We have to believe him. Evertonians remember Collina’s last ever game very well. Did we ever find out why he disallowed Ferguson’s goal?”

As always with Keys, there’s a semblance of a point there. But not the one he thinks he’s making.

“Of course, constructive discussion about decisions will always be part of football, but unfounded allegations have no place in our sport,” FIFA refereeing chief Collina stated in an official media briefing.

“Nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials. When this happens, it may provoke reactions that lead to threats against them and their families. This is not right.”

He’s correct. If you genuinely believe the officials are compromised, there’s no point in investing in any of this.

Ultimately, there’s no evidence to support that belief. No match official at this World Cup has done anything to justify accusations of impropriety, regardless of how contentious certain decisions may be.

And yet FIFA now faces a legitimacy crisis of its own making due to their interference.

They have opened the door to wild conspiracies and social media hysteria by repeatedly demonstrating that regulations can seem negotiable, particularly through the handling of Folarin Balogun and Cristiano Ronaldo’s suspensions.

If FIFA is willing to intervene and make the world’s most marketable superstar available for the group stage, or ensure that one of the hosts’ key players can participate, is it really such a stretch to believe they would also influence officials to sway the outcome?

That question leads us down a perilous path, and it stinks.

We can be sure that Gianni Infantino is pleased that the four seeded teams, the top four ranked nations, have reached the semi-finals. They can market those matches featuring Kylian Mbappe vs Lamine Yamal and Harry Kane vs Lionel Messi.

If the goal was to silence accusations of a tournament being stage-managed, this probably wasn’t the way to achieve it. Cue the X Files theme.

Source: Football365