June 19, 2026
Argentina’s forward #10 Lionel Messi gestures after a foul on Algeria’s defender #02 Aissa Mandi during the 2026 World Cup Group J football match between Argentina and Algeria at the Kansas City Stadium in Kansas City on June 16, 2026. (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP)
Algeria have lodged a complaint with FIFA over “refereeing injustice” in their opening World Cup loss to Argentina, particularly a tackle by Lionel Messi, an Algerian football federation source told AFP on Friday.
Messi caught Algeria defender Aissa Mandi on the calf with a studs-up challenge from behind in the 30th minute of Tuesday’s match but was not booked.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, who had already given reigning world champions Argentina the lead, went on to score a hat-trick.
