Argentina captain Lionel Messi escaped a potential FIFA suspension after avoiding a red card during his side’s 3 to 0 victory over Algeria at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Wednesday.
The Argentine superstar stole the spotlight with a hat trick against the Desert Foxes, helping his team secure a comfortable win.
However, the match was not without controversy.
Messi was fortunate to remain on the pitch after appearing to stamp on Algeria captain Aissa Mandi during the first half of the encounter.
Polish referee Szymon Marciniak awarded a free kick to Algeria following the incident but opted against issuing either a yellow or red card to the Argentine captain.
The Video Assistant Referee, VAR, also declined to intervene, apparently judging the challenge as careless rather than reckless or involving excessive force.
Former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha questioned the decision, suggesting the incident warranted a more severe punishment.
“I think it should have been a red card, in my opinion,” Onuoha told ESPN.
“I think it feels like the moment was missed because obviously the stills make it look quite bad, but when the player was on the floor, you could see Messi had a level of concern towards him because he knew he’d potentially done something there which could get him into trouble.”
Had Messi been shown a red card, he would have faced suspension and missed Argentina’s next Group J fixture against Austria.
Instead, the eight time Ballon d’Or winner remains available as Argentina continue their quest for World Cup glory.
