More than six million people have signed an online petition calling for Argentina to be disqualified from further participation in the FIFA World Cup, alleging that referees and the football's governing body have favoured the defending champions, according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
The petition, hosted on argentinaout.com, has gained widespread attention after urging FIFA to disqualify Argentina from the tournament in North America. Its organisers allege that FIFA and match officials have shown bias in favour of Argentina and their captain Lionel Messi.
“It is obvious that FIFA and the referees are biased towards Lionel Messi and Argentina,” the petition states. “Why should the rest of the world compete when the winner has already been decided? Kick Argentina out of the World Cup and give everyone else a fair chance."
The controversy intensified after Argentina staged a dramatic comeback to beat Egypt in the round of 16, scoring three goals in the final 13 minutes to win after trailing 2-0. Messi had earlier missed a first-half penalty.
Egypt protested several refereeing decisions, arguing that one of its goals was ruled out following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review of an earlier foul, while Argentina's late winner was allowed to stand despite an alleged foul on Mohamed Salah.
Egypt said that incident should also have been reviewed by VAR, potentially resulting in Argentina's goal being disallowed and a penalty being awarded to Egypt.
Following the match, Egypt’s manager Hossam Hassan accused FIFA of wanting to keep Messi in the tournament.
“I'll say what I think, regardless of the consequences. This has clearly been rigged and everyone has seen it,” Hassan said. “If they want them to win so badly, why are they inviting everyone to else to participate in the World Cup?”
He added that FIFA promotes fair play, but “we didn't see it on the pitch,” arguing that the outcome would have been different without the officiating decisions.
Argentina’s manager Lionel Scaloni rejected the allegations, ahead of his side's quarter-final match, saying that favouritism is virtually impossible in the era of VAR technology.
“In 1986, they also said Argentina was getting unfair advantages. This is nothing new for us,” Scaloni said. He added that Argentina has long been one of the world's most respected football teams and that criticism only serves to motivate his players.
“With VAR and all the technology we have today, it's extremely difficult to help anyone. There is no room for different interpretations,” he said.
He explained that incidents such as stepping on an opponent's foot are clear fouls under the rules and, if such an infringement leads to a goal-scoring move, the goal must be disallowed.
