Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
The uproar over the World Cup feud involving US President Donald Trump and FIFA chief Gianni Infantino was far from over when another erupted after Argentina’s 3-2 win over Egypt in the last 16 match in Atlanta.
As professional defenders they created a amazing comeback against the Pharaohs in Tuesday’s knockout game, questions were raised about a late VAR call that disallowed Egypt’s second goal, followed by a flurry of incidents that led to Argentina’s victory.
Recommended Articles
list of 4 itemsend of series
A day earlier, Trump revealed that he did asked FIFA to review itand rolling, the American player Folarin Balogun was suspended for one game for being given a red card, and the governing body is under pressure. The story was halted by Belgium when they kicked out their hosts from the tournament with a 4-1 win in the match Balogun was suspended but finished the game – to no avail.
Trump watches the World Cup
While the anger surrounding FIFA’s red card decision was directed at the football governing body and Mr. Trump, the Egyptian outburst focused only on the organization, which, according to the Egyptian manager, “wanted international competitors to keep”.
Head coach Hossam Hassan says the game’s management will be under pressure to ensure that one of the main players, Argentina’s Lionel Messi, remains in the tournament.
“Maybe they want Messi to stay in the tournament,” Hassan told beIN Sports after the match.
“In football, sometimes there are external factors that override talent. Players from all over the world receive support at every level.”
While the competition is no stranger to politics of questionable integrity, experts say the lines between sports and politics have become increasingly blurred.
“After the Balogun affair, who knows which elections are valid and reliable, which cannot be trusted?” Simon Chadwick, a professor of Afro-Eurasian sports at Emlyon Business School in Shanghai, told Al Jazeera.
“If the Trump administration is taking a brief look at this race, it’s important to remember: Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, is a big supporter of Trump.”
Trump and his Argentine counterpart share a close relationship. Milei is a regular feature at pro-Trump political rallies in the United States, and Trump has described the far-right Argentinian leader as his “favorite president”.
Chadwick also answered that Hassan vociferous support in Palestine at the World Cup would have made some officials “biased in decision-making”.
Mr Hassan devoted part of his pre-match press conference on Monday to a heartfelt plea for the Palestinians, especially those in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Advantage, Argentina
Rounding out the VAR call that cut Egypt’s lead in half followed by decisions that went in Argentina’s favour, Chadwick said the timing of the match was “extraordinary”.
He wondered why the referee didn’t call a foul in real time when VAR did it a few minutes later and only once did Egypt get their second goal.
“There is something strange about the goal and the concept of VAR, which was magnified when Argentina scored one of their own goals,” said Chadwick, questioning his opposition to the match.
“In preparation, the Argentinian player violated the rules, which could have been interpreted as the same offense as the Egyptian player had previously committed.” At the very least, the referee’s performance in the match was inconsistent, despite the critics’ insistence.”
But while many social media commentators and football pundits were outraged by the decisions – Portuguese football legend Jose Mourinho reportedly called the game. “theft of daylight” – some football experts said it was a close call.
“Robbery can be a strong word,” said football expert Ali El Garni.
“I would say that the decisions made by the referee and the VAR could have ended, and Argentina benefited from the whole 50/50 situation.
“What caused Egypt’s goal to be disallowed was an indisputable error. The question is that VAR should go back a long way to see if the goal was correct,” said El Garni, who has reported extensively on European and North African football.
However, he wondered if VAR would have been involved if it had been 2-0 in favor of Argentina.
He said: “Would the goal have been disallowed if Argentina had scored?
“What makes it worse for the Egyptians is that what appears to be a foul on (Mohamed) Salah happened before Argentina’s third goal, and VAR never intervened,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chadwick questioned why the VAR officials raised the issue if the referee did not call a foul when Egypt’s Marwan Attia lightly pulled the shirt and stepped on Lisandro Martinez’s feet.
A clear answer to the VAR issue, Chadwick said, “fans and spectators should listen to the analysis of the case, hear the different arguments, and understand the decision clearly”.
Chadwick admitted that while the Egyptian players should not have been swayed by sentiment, “an injustice was caused by the idea of VAR”.
“This technology was supposed to reduce uncertainty and bring consistency. Instead, its use in the game had cognitive and behavioral effects,” he said.
“Indeed, instead of pulling out the cards and adding things, the judge should have used his discretion to resolve the situation.”
While Chadwick dismissed rumors of match-fixing in favor of Messi and Argentina, he acknowledged the influence of the footballers.
“There is no doubt that Messi is an attraction that the competition cannot afford to be without.”
