Why We Admire Messi But Distrust Argentina

Lionel Messi is one of the most loved athletes in the world. Yet, the team he leads is the most distrusted at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Argentina is just one match away from defending their World Cup title. But as they prepare for Sunday’s final against Spain, the mood around them is not one of celebration. Instead, it is filled with suspicion. Messi remains adored, humble, and cherished beyond Argentina’s own fans. But the team he leads is facing heavy criticism online, even being called “VARgentina.” A petition to kick Argentina out of the tournament has gathered millions of signatures. In Chile, two-thirds of people believe that refereeing has often favored Argentina.

One Call That Actually Helped Argentina

One moment that actually worked in Argentina’s favor got little attention. In the group stage against Algeria, Messi stepped on the leg of Algerian captain Aissa Mandi. This could have led to a red card under serious foul play rules. But no card was given, and Messi ended up scoring a hat-trick. According to Archivo VAR, a group tracking key officiating decisions during Argentina’s matches, this was the only call that truly favored them. They also noted that Argentina was on the wrong side of five out of six major decisions reviewed. Three of those calls needed VAR to fix on-field mistakes.

Egypt: Where the Controversy Began

The real trouble started in the Round of 16 against Egypt. With just 11 minutes left and Egypt leading 1-0, they were close to reaching their first-ever World Cup quarter-final. Egyptian midfielder Mostafa Zico scored a goal that was disallowed by VAR due to a slight foul earlier in the play. Marwan Attia was penalized for clipping Lisandro Martínez’s foot. Egypt's coach, Hossam Hassan, was furious and said the decision lacked fairness.

Things only got worse in the final minutes. Just before Enzo Fernandez scored Argentina’s winning goal, Egypt had two penalty appeals denied. First, Alexis Mac Allister seemed to pull down Hamdi Fathi in the box. Then, Mohamed Salah fell after colliding with Julian Alvarez. Referee François Letexier let play continue, and VAR did not step in. Egypt’s federation then filed a complaint, saying officials made serious mistakes and showed bias. Hassan hinted that FIFA wanted to keep Messi and the champions in the tournament. FIFA strongly rejected this, with refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina defending the calls made. FIFA President Gianni Infantino claimed he watched the footage multiple times and found nothing wrong. Still, Argentina’s comeback now has an asterisk.

Switzerland and the Card That Changed Everything

If Egypt sparked the controversy, the quarter-final against Switzerland fueled it. The score was tied 1-1 in the 67th minute when Leandro Paredes got a yellow card for a tackle on Breel Embolo. VAR then applied a new rule called “mistaken identity.” Instead of correcting who got the card, the referee changed the whole decision, giving Embolo a yellow for diving. Since Embolo already had a yellow card, he was sent off, leaving his team with ten men. Switzerland lost 3-1 in extra time.

Swiss coach Murat Yakin called the rule that eliminated his team unacceptable. Captain Granit Xhaka said it changed the game’s outcome. Even neutral analysts felt uneasy. Former FIFA referee Christina Unkel said the rule was stretched beyond its intended use, essentially re-refereeing the incident after it happened. She added that fan trust in officiating was badly affected, which reflects the current mood.

Fernandez Missed a Caution

That background set the stage for the intense semi-final against England. Just three minutes in, Enzo Fernández caught Elliot Anderson with an elbow to the head. Referee Ismail Elfath showed no card, seeing it as a normal collision. This inconsistency frustrated many. Earlier, Jude Bellingham was elbowed by Paredes without a card shown. Yet a minor clash between Anderson and Messi resulted in Anderson receiving a yellow card. Former English refereeing chief Keith Hackett said Elfath needed to control the match better. To make matters worse, Fernández scored Argentina’s equalizer and Lautaro Martínez secured the win deep into stoppage time. For an already skeptical English press and public, this moment confirmed their suspicions.

What the Numbers Show

Northeastern University’s sports analytics group looked at VAR decisions for every team in the tournament. Argentina was the second-highest beneficiary of VAR calls and had no VAR decisions go against them until the Round of 16. Only Mexico, as co-host, ranked higher. Croatia and Iran faced poor decisions throughout their matches. Researchers warned that these numbers reflect VAR calls, not intentional bias, but the pattern is hard to ignore.

Some of these trends come from new rules for 2026, expanding VAR to include mistaken-identity cases and wrong second yellows. The mistaken-identity rule seems to have been used before its limits were fully understood.

Final as a Showdown

Argentina now faces a Spanish team that has been almost perfect defensively, hardly conceding across seven matches. This team is built on structure rather than individual talent. Messi’s Argentina is the opposite: chaotic, genius, and filled with disputed calls. Much of what happened may align with strict rule interpretations, but public perception often doesn’t care about technicalities. Some commentators even view Sunday’s final as a clash between order and chaos.

In the end, it is a simple split: Messi is the artist people love, while Argentina is the team many expect to have an easy path. You can feel both ways at once. As Argentina seeks to repeat their title, a feat not achieved since Brazil in 1962, many neutral fans will hope their luck finally runs out.