"Messi should be sent off, 100%" — Alejandro Moreno, criticizing Messi's foul in Algeria match
Alejandro Moreno Commentary: Lionel Messi's foul in the group match against Algeria should have been red carded and referee Shimon Marciniak questioned when he didn't even go for a monitor check.
Former Venezuelan forward Alejandro Moreno has criticized Lionel Messi's foul during the Argentina-Algeria World Cup 2026 World Cup 2026 group stage first match (Argentina 3-0). According to him, Messi deserves a red card for that incident.
In the first half, Messi knocked down Algerian defender Aissa Mandi Kala with studs from behind. However, the main referee Szymon Marciniak did not even show Messi a yellow card.
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"It's a 100% red card for Messi. It should be shown. There's another question: it reinforces the notion that great players get special treatment. It looked like a foul live, the replay was even more obvious — an incident that must be looked at. But why wasn't Marciniak called to the monitor? This is Lionel Messi's red card. As much as I love Messi, it's late, bad contact. Someone's back foot. "If the part touches the studs from the knee to the heel — it's a red card," Moreno told ESPN FC (on Social Network 'X').
Despite ongoing debate over Messi's decision, Argentina got off to a solid start to the group with a 3-0 win. But with Moreno's comments, the behavior of the referees in that match came under discussion again.