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9 Million Demand Argentina's World Cup Ouster
15 Jul
Summary
- Over 9 million people signed a petition to remove Argentina from the World Cup.
- Egypt's manager accused the match of being rigged, favoring Messi and Argentina.
- Argentina's manager dismissed bias claims, stating VAR makes favoritism nearly impossible.
A viral online petition calling for Argentina's disqualification from the World Cup has surpassed nine million signatures. The petition, hosted on argentinaout.com, accuses FIFA and referees of favoring Lionel Messi and the Argentine team, arguing that the tournament's outcome is predetermined.
This surge in demand for Argentina's expulsion follows a controversial match where Egypt's manager, Hossam Hassan, vehemently alleged that the game was rigged. He pointed to a disallowed Egyptian goal after VAR review and a potentially fouled-upon Argentine winner that bypassed VAR scrutiny as evidence of gross unfairness.
Hassan further claimed that FIFA's intent was to keep Messi in the competition, questioning the fairness of the 'Fair Play' promotion by the governing body. He believes that without these perceived errors, the match's outcome would have been different.
In response to the allegations, Argentina's manager, Lionel Scaloni, dismissed the claims during a press conference. He emphasized that the modern era of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology makes preferential treatment virtually impossible due to its clarity and comprehensive review capabilities. Scaloni suggested that while social media amplifies controversies, any notion of bias in today's game is exceptionally difficult to achieve.
