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Zekerini’s strict statements
The refereeing row returned to the fore at the 2026 World Cup when Algeria lost 3-0 to Argentina in the opening match of the teams’ Group 10 campaign, in a game in which Lionel Messi stole the show by scoring his first hat-trick of the tournament.
Despite Argentina’s clear superiority in the result, the debate in Algeria did not stop with Messi’s three goals, but extended to a number of exciting refereeing decisions that took place in the encounter, most notably the Tango captain’s tackle on defender Issa Mandi, in addition to Fares Chaibi’s disallowed goal.
Former Algerian international referee and Algerian TV’s most popular refereeing analyst Mohamed Zakrini launched a scathing attack on Polish referee Simon Marciniak, arguing that Messi deserved a straight red card after interfering with Mendy in the first half.
Zakrini confirmed in the official analysis studio of Algerian television after the match that the shot required the intervention of video technology, stressing that the incident raised many questions, especially ignoring the review of the situation, despite its seriousness.
The Algerian analyst also expressed his doubts about the validity of the decision to cancel Fares Chaibi’s goal, considering that the shot was not clear enough to categorically justify the cancellation of the goal.
Zekerini made a fiery statement while analyzing the game, saying: “If the game had changed and it had been Mendy who interfered with Messi in this way, the decision would have been completely different.”
The former referee’s criticism was not limited to the match decisions, but also extended to the appointment of Marciniak to take charge of the match, as he said he was initially opposed to the appointment of the 2022 World Cup final referee who saw Argentina become champions.
He added that choosing a former World Cup final referee to officiate Argentina’s opening game in the next edition of the tournament was not the right decision from his point of view as it opens the door to a lot of controversy and commentary.
Zecherini concluded his statement with strong hints of arbitration, saying: “We all know what happened at the World Cup final” held in Qatar, a reference that sparked widespread reactions on social media platforms.
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Arab crops in the first round of the World Cup. dazzling quartet, logical defeats and the disaster of Tunisia.
Arbitration opinion. Did Egypt deserve a penalty against Belgium?
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