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Lionel Messi has a message for Argentina’s detractors: “They didn’t give us anything.”
The Argentine superstar responded to critics who have been criticizing the reigning World Cup champions over perceptions of beneficial refereeing and favoritism by the football establishment. He said the team’s ability to turn around late game deficits, most recently the semi-final victory over England, is a result of championship pedigree and nothing more.
After trailing 1-0 in the 85th minute, Argentina rallied to beat England 2-1 on Wednesday and reach the World Cup final.
The victory led tens of thousands to flood the streets of Buenos Aires in euphoric celebrations and marked another remarkable comeback that demonstrated the perseverance of a team that is now one victory away from back-to-back titles. Argentina faces Spain in the final on Sunday.
Argentina earlier survived by beating Cape Verde and Switzerland in extra time, and rallied for an improbable 3-2 victory over Egypt after coming back from a 2-0 deficit with 11 minutes of regulation time left. But both Swiss and Egyptian coaches criticized the refereeing. Hossam Hassan of Egypt even went so far as to say that his team was a victim of a football establishment that favored Messi and Argentina.
The comments fueled criticism sparked by fans who argue that the FIFA ranking favored La Albiceleste, and unfounded accusations on social media claiming that soccer’s governing body wants Argentina to become World Cup champions again.
“We have been the best in these last four years, whether you like it or not, and it doesn’t matter what they say,” Messi said after the victory over England.
“Once again we have positioned ourselves among the two best teams in the world. This shows that everything we have done is not a coincidence and that they have not given us anything.”
The match against Switzerland revolved around a decision that irritated those who believe Argentina has been favored by World Cup officials.
The Swiss had just tied the game 1-1 with Dan Ndoye’s goal in the 67th minute, when Leandro Paredes received a yellow card for a challenge on Breel Embolo. But the video showed the Swiss player falling before the Argentine midfielder made contact with him, and since Embolo received a yellow card early in the match, he was sent off and Switzerland was left defending with 10 players.
“We were punished for a rule that, in my opinion, is completely unacceptable,” Swiss coach Murat Yakin said after the game. “It’s very painful that we were eliminated like that. I don’t think we deserved it today and, in my opinion, my boys are the real heroes.”
Meanwhile, the Egyptian Football Association had said it “cannot remain silent” after what it considered unfair and biased refereeing in Egypt’s defeat against Argentina.
The Argentine team had not recognized the complaints about refereeing and FIFA. In previous press conferences, Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni had even advised journalists asking about the topic “not to consume social media so much.”
But after the victory over England, the reigning champions fought back.
“Reaching two consecutive World Cup finals is something that very few achieve and this group did it,” Messi said. “If we had lost against England, there would have been people who would have come out and said rubbish, but we didn’t give them the chance.”
Wednesday’s semifinal was the latest chapter in a long dispute that has transcended the field to encompass British control over the disputed Falkland Islands, which Argentina calls the Malvinas and claims as its sovereign territory.
The British government on Thursday urged FIFA to investigate the Argentine team after players celebrating their victory over England posed with a banner handed out by fans that read “Las Malvinas son Argentinas.”
Enzo Fernández acknowledged that his celebration of the goal, which tied the score at 1-1, was directed at criticism from Argentina. The Chelsea midfielder first put his hands to his ears, a gesture interpreted in football as a challenge to critics. Then he opened and closed his fingers, as if inviting them to continue speaking.
“There was a lot of talk; it was a mix of euphoria and frustration,” Fernández said.
Scaloni, for his part, stated in the press conference after the semi-final that “this ‘help’ speech will always exist, it doesn’t bother me.”
“With VAR nowadays it is very difficult to get help; it would have to be obvious. We knew there was no help.”
Associated Press information.
