Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Former English referee Andy Davies confirmed that the Argentinian was saved from a well-deserved dismissal.
Reactions to a controversial shot involving Argentina star Lionel Messi are still ongoing at the 2026 World Cup in Algeria in the United States of America, Canada and Mexico.
Messi leads the titles with 3 hat-trick goals as he led the Tango team to open their title defense campaign with a big win (3-0).He topped the tournament’s all-time top scorers list alongside Germany’s Miroslav Klose (16 goals each).
But Messi became the subject of controversy due to another hit when… He made a strong intervention on the foot of the Algerian defender Issa MandiWhen the result showed that the Latin team was leading 1-0.
Although the referee Simon Marciniak recorded a foul, he did not show any card to the captain of the Argentine national team.
The shot was viewed by video referee Tomasz Kwiatkowski, who decided not to intervene, considering that the arena referee had not made a “clear and honest error” that required a review of the decision.
In turn, former English referee Andy Davies told the network ESPN:“Messi’s interference was unnecessary and he was lucky not to be sent off straight away.”
He added: “When kicking from behind, the soles of the shoe rub against the calf with some force, the appropriate punishment in such cases is a straight red card.”
The arbitration expert clarified that whether or not Messi intended to commit a foul in this way does not change anything from a legal point of view, as the intention is not a decisive factor in the law of the game, while the nature of the contact and interference remains the basis for evaluating the situation.
The refereeing expert continued. “From my point of view, Messi was lucky because this shot deserved to be sent off. It came as the result saw Argentina take a one-goal lead without reply, which could have had a huge impact on the outcome of the match.”
He concluded his speech by saying: “Messi’s suspension would also affect the rest of Argentina’s campaign in the group stage, as it is possible that he would be suspended for at least one game, which would prevent him from participating in one of the next World Cup games.”
