He's allowed to play against us
World Cup bonus? Excitement surrounding Messi ahead of the match against the Austrian national team
What a spectacle to kick off the World Cup—Lionel Messi single-handedly led defending champion Argentina to an opening victory over Algeria with a hat trick. Amid the widespread praise, however, there’s also a lot of buzz surrounding the superstar, who’s lucky he won’t have to sit out the match against the Austrian national team.
A controversial moment in the 31st minute: Lionel Messi, with his foot open, kicked Algerian defender Aissa Mandi in the calf from behind. To the surprise of many, the exceptional player didn’t even receive a yellow card for the rough foul.
Should the 38-year-old perhaps even have been sent off? “Actually, almost a red card,” “Krone” columnist Herbert Prohaska had already remarked at halftime. Some fans even suggested afterward that Messi was getting a World Cup pass.
“He didn’t mean to do it, but that’s no reason”
The incident was also a major topic of conversation in Germany. “For me, that’s a red card,” said Bundesliga referee Patrick Ittrich on “MagentaTV.” “We have several examples from the Bundesliga where that was punished with a red card. He didn’t mean to do it, no question, but that’s no reason not to give a red card.”
Now we need a “good solution”
Helge Payer also weighed in on Wednesday evening with an Instagram video. “In my opinion, Messi actually—yes, I’d almost say—should have gotten a red card. ‘Should have’ is an exaggeration, but I’d say two out of ten referees would have given the red card,” said the ORF expert. “He drove his foot into the opponent’s calf.”
Since he wasn’t sent off, “La Pulga” is eligible to play in Monday’s second group match against Austria (7 p.m./live on the sportkrone.at live ticker). Payer: “We’ll need an absolutely brilliant performance against Argentina, but I’m sure the ÖFB team will find a good strategy.” That’s what it’ll take against Messi, too…
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