On the morning of June 17, Lionel Messi sparked controversy following a collision with defender Aissa Mandi when Argentina faced Algeria in Group J of the 2026 World Cup.
In the 32nd minute at Arrowhead Stadium, Messi allegedly stepped on the calf of the Algerian center-back as both rushed for the ball. The collision caused Mandi to lose his balance and fall to the pitch, triggering a wave of fierce reactions. On social media, many slow-motion videos and a series of images from the match were shared at a dizzying pace.
Many accounts argued that the Argentine captain made a dangerous impact from behind on Mandi’s leg while contesting the ball. Some opinions even stated that this situation deserved a direct red card.
Many international football pages reposted this situation accompanied by harsh comments aimed at the refereeing team. Some accounts believed that VAR ignored Messi’s clear foul and questioned the consistency of decisions at the World Cup.
“Unbelievable. A dangerous tackle but not even a yellow card,” a football account with a large following on X commented. Meanwhile, many Algerian fans felt their team was treated unfairly.
However, there were also many opinions defending Messi. They argued that the collision happened at high speed, the Argentine forward was primarily focused on the ball and showed no signs of intentionally taking out the opponent. Most assessed this as a fierce challenge rather than an act of violence.
Notably, VAR did not request the main referee to review the pitch-side monitor, meaning the match officials did not evaluate this as a serious enough foul to issue a red card.
