Mikel Obi dismisses FIFA bias claims towards Messi

Former Super Eagles captain John Mikel Obi has rejected claims that FIFA is showing bias towards Lionel Messi and Argentina at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He called these conspiracy theories the work of Cristiano Ronaldo's fans.

Mikel shared his thoughts on The Rest Is Football podcast during a chat about the upcoming semi-final match between Argentina and England at the tournament.

The discussion began after former England player Joe Cole mentioned that many people around the world want to see Messi in the final. He said, "I think the whole world wants Lionel Messi in the final. They’re going to have to deal with the shithousery from the Argentinians… If I’m the manager, I would buy into that, and I think they’ll target Jude Bellingham. I think you’ll see De Paul niggling at him. He plays on the edge."

Cole later clarified that he was not accusing FIFA of rigging the matches. He added, "I’m not saying there’s anything, any skulduggery at all, from FIFA; the vibes of the world want Argentina to get there because they want Messi to get there."

Responding to this, Mikel firmly disagreed. He believes Argentina reached this stage because of their own efforts, not because of any favoritism. Mikel said, "I’m not buying into that bullshit. This is all the Ronaldo fans coming up with all this crap."

He explained that Argentina had a better path in the tournament because they performed well and won their group. Mikel stated, "If they won their games, which they should have done, they would not play tougher teams. Argentina did their job, they won their games, and they got into the easier group."

He added, "So this is all Ronaldo fans. I don’t like that. FIFA are not favouring Messi."

The former Chelsea midfielder praised Messi, saying the Argentina captain has shown he deserves his reputation. Mikel said, "Messi is doing his job. He’s playing, he’s scoring goals, and he’s breaking records."

Mikel continued, "If they play well tomorrow and beat England, I think they have the chance to go back-to-back."

The 2026 World Cup, which is being hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, has reached the semi-final stage with a lot of excitement. Argentina, with the 39-year-old Messi, is looking to defend the title they won in Qatar 2022.

If Argentina wins against England, they will face Spain in the final on Sunday. Spain moved forward by beating France 2-0 in the other semi-final on Tuesday.