The refereeing performance during the duel between Argentina and Algeria in the World Cup continues to generate repercussions. After the 3-0 defeat of the African team, the Algerian Football Federation (FAF) filed a formal complaint with FIFA to express its disagreement with two actions that occurred during the match played at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

According to information released by the Algerian sports newspaper Compétition, which claimed to have accessed official sources, the organization considers that there were relevant decisions that were not sanctioned by the arbitration body headed by the Polish Szymon Marciniak. The presentation also points to the performance of the VAR, directed by Tomasz Kwiatkowski.

The Argentine victory was marked by Lionel Messi's three goals, but the Algerian leadership's focus was on two specific plays. One of them involved the Argentine captain himself and a tackle on Aïssa Mandi, defender and captain of the African team. According to the report sent by the FAF, the action deserved a “disciplinary sanction”, something that ultimately did not happen during the match.

The second situation pointed out by the federation corresponds to an action carried out by Alexis Mac Allister against Ibrahim Maza. The entity maintains that the Algerian midfielder received an elbow in the face and that the play did not lead to a sanction by the main referee either.

Criticism also reaches the VAR

One of the central points of the claim presented to FIFA is the absence of review of both actions through the video arbitration system. According to the FAF's position, neither of the two incidents was analyzed in depth by those responsible for the VAR, despite the relevance they may have had for the development of the match.

Compétition noted that the federation considers that these episodes directly influenced the match. The assessment of the Algerian leadership is that the two actions could have ended with the expulsion of Argentine footballers, a scenario that would have allowed the Greens to play part of the match with numerical superiority.

The information about the formal presentation was later replicated by different media, including the French newspaper L'Equipe. Both Compétition and the Algerian media TSA detailed that the complaint focuses on decisions that, according to the federation, were not warned by either Marciniak or the team in charge of video refereeing.

In the midst of the controversy, it was also recalled that Rule 12 of the IFAB contemplates different criteria to evaluate infractions due to physical contact. Among the possibilities are actions considered reckless, reckless or those classified as use of excessive force, each with different disciplinary consequences. In the case of the play starring Messi, the referee chose not to show any card.

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