Messi Incident and Controversy in the World Cup Final
You don't see many times Messi actually gets chewed out for what he does on the field. But in a World Cup final? The pressure is immense. Even someone of his size can invite criticism. It happened when he tried to get something done with Marc Cucurella on Sunday.
Argentina players protested, obviously, about Slavko Vincic showing Enzo Fernandez a second yellow card and sending him off from the game. And Messi tried to point out what was happening between Cucurella and himself.
The game was already messy. Argentina went down to ten men after that send-off. Spain's Cucurella had a quick chat with Messi during that time. He actually covered his mouth for a second while talking.
Messi just raised his hand, you know? He walked over to the referee and started complaining about what Cucurella did.
This whole thing hinges on a new FIFA rule they brought in. It basically bans players from covering their mouths when talking to an opponent during play. If you break that, the ref can show you a red card.
Paraguay’s Miguel Almiron got sent off for this exact reason. He covered his mouth while speaking with someone else on the pitch.
But honestly? It always comes back to who judges it. The referee has to decide if that little gesture was worth a card. In Cucurella's case, after all the VAR checks happened, the ref decided Spain hadn't said anything malicious enough for a red.
Still, Messi’s attempt to smooth things over got backlash. Wayne Rooney, the England legend and World Cup winner, called him out. He felt it wasn't good sportsmanship. A real criticism.
Rooney said something like, "Argentina play like that. We know what they do. You just need good sportsmanship. That was sad to see, Lionel Messi doing that."
Joe Hart, the former England keeper, echoed that sentiment too. He seemed pretty clear on it.
He said he didn't enjoy seeing it from Messi at all. He pointed out how much Spain was ahead in that final. If even someone like Messi reverts to that kind of behavior... well, it’s just disappointing.
Then you had Lee Dixon stepping in. He called Messi a 'baby.' Said you shouldn't be acting like that trying to get someone sent off for something ridiculous.
Spain eventually won 1-0 thanks to Ferran Torres hitting late and grabbing the World Cup title again. A win, but with all that drama hanging over it.
Written by Gree News Team — Senior Editorial Board
Gree News Team covers international news and global affairs at Gree News. Our collective of senior editors is dedicated to providing independent, accurate, and responsible journalism for a global audience.
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