Algeria have lodged an official complaint with FIFA over what they described as refereeing injustice during their opening FIFA World Cup match against Argentina, according to a source within the Algerian Football Federation.
The complaint centres on several controversial incidents during Tuesday’s Group J encounter, including a challenge by Argentine captain Lionel Messi on Algerian defender Aissa Mandi.
Messi, who had already opened the scoring for the reigning world champions, appeared to catch Mandi on the calf with a studs-up tackle from behind in the 30th minute. However, the referee took no disciplinary action against the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Speaking to AFP on Friday, a federation source said the challenge should have resulted in a red card.
“The complaint primarily concerns Messi’s challenge, which deserved a red card, in everyone’s opinion,” the source said.
The federation also raised concerns about two separate elbow incidents involving Argentine players, arguing that both warranted dismissals.
“There were three incidents that were crystal clear, and VAR did not intervene,” the source added.
Despite the controversy, Messi went on to score a hat-trick as Argentina secured victory. His three goals also saw him equal former Germany striker Miroslav Klose’s all-time World Cup scoring record of 16 goals.
While acknowledging Argentina’s quality, the Algerian federation insisted it could not ignore what it believes were unfair officiating decisions.
“We are not saying that the Argentine team was not strong, but we cannot remain silent in the face of injustice,” the source said.
Algeria will seek to revive their World Cup campaign when they face Jordan on Monday before concluding their Group J fixtures against Austria on June 27.
The North African nation is aiming to reach the World Cup knockout stage for only the second time in its history, having previously advanced to the round of 16 in 2014 before suffering an extra-time defeat to eventual champions Germany.
