Sports
Messi silences conspiracy theories with football, not favoritism
Lionel Messi’s latest World Cup heroics have reignited familiar conspiracy theories, with critics once again accusing FIFA of favoring Argentina. But a closer examination of the tournament’s biggest refereeing controversies tells a far different story.
Nearly every decision cited as evidence of corruption aligns with the Laws of the Game and established VAR protocol rather than any coordinated effort to help the defending champions.
The narrative is hardly new. Similar accusations surfaced throughout Argentina’s victorious 2022 World Cup campaign, largely fueled by disappointed rival fan bases unwilling to accept Messi’s crowning achievement.
Four years later, the claims have become even louder, spreading far beyond traditional football circles and dominating social media whenever Argentina takes the field.
Instead of celebrating one of the greatest players in history producing another remarkable World Cup at nearly 40 years old, much of the online discussion has centered on allegations that the tournament has somehow been engineered in Argentina’s favor.
The reality, however, is far less sensational.
Algeria controversy
The first major flashpoint came during Argentina’s comfortable 3-0 victory over Algeria, where Messi scored a brilliant hat trick.
The match was overshadowed by a first-half challenge in which Messi caught defender Aissa Mandi on the lower leg. Algeria’s football federation formally complained to FIFA, arguing Messi should have received a red card.
Replays suggested otherwise.
While the tackle was reckless enough to warrant a yellow card, it did not satisfy the criteria for serious foul play.
Messi approached the challenge at relatively low speed, did not lunge dangerously with excessive force and made contact as Mandi stepped into the path of the sliding challenge.
Under the Laws of the Game, reckless challenges are punished with yellow cards. Red cards are reserved for tackles involving excessive force or those that clearly endanger an opponent.
Similar or even more severe incidents elsewhere in the tournament received comparable treatment, reinforcing the consistency of officiating rather than suggesting preferential treatment for Messi.
Austria debate
Questions resurfaced during Argentina’s 2-0 victory over Austria after Messi opened the scoring.
Austria coach Ralf Rangnick argued Alexis Mac Allister committed a foul during the buildup.
The replay showed two players battling shoulder to shoulder for possession. Mac Allister neither pushed, tripped nor lunged at his opponent before shielding the ball and launching Argentina’s attack.
The referee had an unobstructed view and immediately judged the challenge to be fair. Since there was no clear and obvious error, VAR had no grounds to intervene.
Cape Verde complaints
Argentina’s knockout-stage qualification against Cape Verde produced another wave of criticism focused on three officiating decisions.
The first involved a delayed whistle after Messi was fouled.
Rather than indicating indecision, the pause reflected the proper application of the advantage rule. Referees are instructed to briefly delay their whistle to determine whether the attacking team can benefit before stopping play.
The second complaint centered on Messi taking a quick free kick before goalkeeper Vozinha had fully organized his defensive wall.
Match footage showed the referee had already blown his whistle to restart play after confirming the goalkeeper was in position. Vozinha continued adjusting his wall after play had legally resumed, making any resulting disadvantage his responsibility rather than the referee’s.
Critics also questioned the three minutes of added time at the end of extra time.
Although referees may extend stoppage time when necessary, ending the match shortly after the announced minimum had elapsed falls well within standard officiating practice.
Egypt controversy
The most intense backlash arrived in the round of 16.
Argentina rallied from two goals down to defeat Egypt 3-2, prompting Egyptian players and coaches to accuse officials of manipulating the result.
The primary controversy involved a goal by Mostafa Zico that VAR overturned.
Review footage showed Marwan Attia fouled Lisandro Martínez by pulling his shirt and stepping on his foot while winning possession at the beginning of Egypt’s attacking sequence.
Because Egypt retained possession throughout the entire move before scoring, the foul remained part of the same attacking phase, giving VAR full authority to intervene under the protocol.
Although some considered the foul soft, the decision itself was consistent with FIFA’s interpretation of VAR procedures.
Egypt also appealed for a late penalty after Mac Allister briefly grabbed Hamdi Fathi’s shirt inside the area during a corner.
Officials determined the contact was minimal and did not prevent Fathi from challenging for the ball. Similar shirt pulling routinely occurs during set pieces without resulting in penalties unless it clearly affects an opponent’s ability to compete.
Another disputed incident involved Mohamed Salah going to ground inside the penalty area.
Replays indicated Argentina’s defender cleanly won the ball before Salah’s momentum carried him into the challenge. Neither Salah nor his teammates mounted significant protests during the match, often an indication that players themselves recognized the tackle as fair.
Argentina still needed to overcome a missed Messi penalty and capitalize on Egypt’s defensive collapse after scoring three goals from open play during a decisive spell.
A pattern beyond Argentina
Supporters of the conspiracy theory frequently focus only on decisions involving Messi while overlooking officiating mistakes that benefited Argentina’s opponents.
Examples throughout the tournament included questionable challenges that escaped punishment and clear yellow cards that were never issued against opposing players.
Such inconsistencies are common in football and reflect human error rather than evidence of systematic favoritism toward one team.
Echoes of 2022
Many of the current accusations mirror those made during Argentina’s successful 2022 World Cup campaign.
Messi’s handball against the Netherlands remains a frequent talking point despite the Laws of the Game stating that deliberate handball does not automatically require a yellow card. A booking is issued only when the offense stops a promising attack, interrupts a dangerous counterattack or provides a tactical advantage.
None of those conditions applied in that incident.
Penalty decisions against France, Croatia and the Netherlands have also repeatedly been described as gifts despite replay evidence showing defenders committed clear fouls.
Critics rarely acknowledge that Messi missed a penalty against Poland or that the referee allowed more than 10 minutes of stoppage time against the Netherlands, during which Wout Weghorst scored a dramatic equalizer.
Likewise, if officials were determined to guarantee Argentina victory in the 2022 final, France would never have been awarded two penalties that allowed Kylian Mbappé to force extra time.
The facts outweigh the theories
Argentina’s run to another World Cup final has been built on outstanding football rather than favorable officiating.
The defending champions survived extra time, overcame difficult knockout opponents and relied on Messi’s enduring brilliance against England to reach another title match, where they will face Spain.
Yet each victory has generated fresh conspiracy theories, many driven more by social media engagement than careful analysis of the laws governing the sport.
Every controversial decision deserves scrutiny. That is part of football. But reviewing the tournament’s biggest flashpoints reveals consistent applications of the rules rather than evidence of a coordinated effort to steer Argentina toward another trophy.
Mohamed Salah has a new coach at Trabzonspor after the Turkish Süper Lig club on Thursday hired Thomas Reis, who cited the lure of working with the former Liverpool star.
Trabzonspor said the German coach signed a two-year contract to leave Bulgarian club Ludogorets. He replaces Fatih Tekke, who resigned early this month after the team suffered two losses and were eliminated from the Europa League.
Salah is the marquee signing at Trabzonspor this season following a stellar nine-year spell at Liverpool, working mostly with German coach Jurgen Klopp. The Egyptian star has scored four goals in five league games so far.
“Working with a player of his caliber is perhaps one of the best things that can happen to a coach,” Reis said in a club statement, adding he would give Salah “freedom in attack.”
Reis previously coached in the Turkish league, taking unheralded Samsunspor to a third-place finish two seasons ago behind Istanbul powerhouses Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe.
“I know this place and I know how intense the games are here,” the coach said.
Ludogorets said in a statement that they were surprised by the offer to take Reis, who expressed a wish to work at Trabzonspor with talents like Salah, Fabinho and goalkeeper Andre Onana.
The Black Sea club will pay Ludogorets 900,000 euros ($1.06 million) in compensation for terminating the 52-year-old coach’s contract.
Reis will receive a guaranteed salary of 1 million euros for the 2026-27 season and 1.2 million euros for the 2027-28 campaign, the club said.
Trabzonspor, which won the last of their seven Turkish league titles in 2022, are ninth in the standings after five rounds.
Trabzonspor lost 1-0 to Konyaspor last week and will face Galatasaray this Saturday.
The team start a six-game program in the Conference League in Finland at KuPS Kuopio on Oct. 15.
Beşiktaş turned a tense opening half into a commanding European night Thursday, scoring three times after the break to dismantle French side Olympique Marseille 4-1 at Tüpraş Stadium and open their UEFA Europa League campaign with three points.
Ilhan Fakılı fired the Black Eagles ahead in the 15th minute after Junior Olaitan sent him through on goal, but Keyliane Abdallah struck back for Marseille on the half-hour mark to send the teams into the break level at 1-1.
Backed by a vocal home crowd, Beşiktaş seized control after the restart.
Vaclav Cerny restored the lead with a stylish finish in the 56th minute before Amir Murillo struck just three minutes later, heading home from a corner against his former club to make it 3-1.
Ernest Poku completed the rout in the 81st minute, scoring his first goal for Beşiktaş after coming off the bench 10 minutes earlier.
Fakılı nearly added another when his 68th-minute effort struck the post. The young winger, filling in for the absent Leandro Trossard, has now scored three times this season and registered his first goal in European competition.
Cerny’s goal was his fourth of the campaign as the Czech international continued his strong start under coach Vincenzo Italiano.
Italiano also made a precautionary change at halftime, replacing Emmanuel Agbadou with Tiago Djalo after the defender had been booked in the 10th minute.
The victory extended Beşiktaş’s perfect home record this season to seven matches across the Süper Lig and Europa League. The Black Eagles have scored 19 goals and conceded just three at Dolmabahçe during that run.
Beşiktaş have also won four consecutive matches across all competitions, beating Çorum FK, Fenerbahçe and Erzurumspor FK before Thursday’s European victory.
The result marked Beşiktaş’s second win over Marseille in three meetings. Their previous encounters came in the 2007-08 Champions League group stage, when Marseille won 2-0 in France before Beşiktaş responded with a 2-1 victory in Istanbul.
The Black Eagles also improved their overall record against French opposition to six wins, two draws and four defeats in 12 European matches.
For Marseille coach Bruno Genesio, it was another difficult trip to Istanbul against Beşiktaş. He previously lost 2-1 at Dolmabahçe while coaching Olympique Lyon in the 2016-17 Europa League.
Marseille’s defeat extended their losing streak to four matches across all competitions after setbacks against Monaco, Paris FC and Rennes.
Beşiktaş will next travel to Germany to face Hoffenheim on Oct. 15 in their second Europa League match.
AC Milan suffered their first defeat under Ruben Amorim, losing 2-0 at home to Benfica as the Europa League began Wednesday, while Sunderland won on their return to European competition after a 53-year absence.
Seven-time European champions Milan had won two and drawn two of their opening four Serie A games, but were given a reality check by Benfica on the opening day of the Europa League league phase.
Milan were profligate in front of goal and were made to pay by the visitors, who maintained their unbeaten start to the season.
“I change all the time, we need to start with a base, we have two months of work,” Amorim, who said before the game that he does not “know if I’ll have the time needed,” told Sky Sport Italia when asked if he would change tactics.
“We lost tonight, but we will find the solutions to adapt to these games, because we need to create an idea, but we also need to win, so of course we can adapt,” he added.
Benfica, who lost to Milan in the 1963 and 1990 European Cup finals, were able to enjoy their first-ever win over the Italian giants.
Marco Silva’s side grabbed a 16th-minute lead through a superb individual goal from Dodi Lukebakio, as the Belgian cut inside from the right and unleashed a left-footed drive into the far bottom corner.
The Portuguese powerhouse extended their advantage eight minutes after the interval when Jakub Kaminski slammed in Souffian el Karouani’s left-wing cross.
Sunderland back with bang
Regis Le Bris’s Sunderland clinched a 1-0 victory over AZ Alkmaar at a raucous Stadium of Light in their first European match since the Cup Winners’ Cup second round in 1973.
Sunderland were the stronger team in the first half but failed to take their chances, with Enzo Le Fee going closest when he struck the post.
The Black Cats were awarded a penalty 20 minutes after the restart for Weslley Patati’s foul on Le Fee.
The Frenchman, who had a penalty saved by David Raya in Saturday’s Premier League loss to Arsenal, stepped up to slot the spot-kick into the corner.
Sunderland were indebted to goalkeeper Robin Roefs when he made an excellent save to deny AZ attacker Valdemar Byskov an equalizer in the 81st minute.
“Now that we are here I’m just trying to enjoy every moment,” said Sunderland defender Trai Hume.
“We have a great team, great staff and unbelievable fans. We fully deserve this moment and we are going to keep pushing this season.”
Lyon put some of the disappointment of their dramatic Champions League play-off loss to Fenerbahçe behind them with a 2-1 victory at Anderlecht.
The visitors quickly took control in Brussels as Noah Nartey put them in front after less than eight minutes.
Keito Nakamura’s deflected strike doubled the lead midway through the first half and gave the Japan winger his first Lyon goal since signing from Reims.
Anderlecht pulled one back through teenage striker Mihajlo Cvetkovic’s header after halftime, but Lyon held on under severe pressure.
Bayer Leverkusen saw off spirited Slovenian champions Celje 2-0 in Germany.
Leverkusen forged ahead when Celje midfielder Svit Seslar put through his own net in the 15th minute and Argentina international Facundo Medina made the points safe with 16 minutes remaining.
Elsewhere, Olympiacos came from behind to beat Poland’s Jagiellonia 2-1, while Sparta Prague brushed aside Ararat 4-1 in Armenia and Cypriots Omonia edged out Celta Vigo.
Istanbul will host the 2027 Spanish Super Cup from Feb. 2 to Feb. 6, bringing Spain’s premier four-team tournament to Türkiye for the first time following a five-year run in Saudi Arabia, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) announced Thursday.
The introductory meeting for the high-profile tournament was held at the TFF Hasan Doğan National Teams Camp and Training Facilities. The press conference featured prominent political and sports dignitaries, including Youth and Sports Minister Osman Aşkın Bak, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, TFF President Ibrahim Hacıosmanoğlu, Istanbul Gov. Davut Gül, Saudi Arabian Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, Saudi Royal Court Advisor and General Entertainment Authority Chairman Turki Al-Sheikh, Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) President Rafael Louzan, and World Ethnosport Union President Necmeddin Bilal Erdoğan.
The four-team marquee competition will feature global powerhouses Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, and Real Sociedad. The tournament will unfold across three of Istanbul’s primary football venues.
The first semifinal between Real Madrid and Real Sociedad will take place on Feb. 2 at Fenerbahçe’s Şükrü Saracoğlu Sports Complex, while the second, featuring Barcelona and Atletico Madrid will follow on Feb. 3 at Beşiktaş’s home ground.
The final match will be held on Feb. 6 at Galatasaray’s Ali Sami Yen Sports Complex.
Speaking at the launch event, TFF boss Hacıosmanoğlu emphasized Istanbul’s growing stature as a global capital for international sporting events, citing the city’s successful track record in staging major UEFA fixtures.
“We have successfully completed many major organizations, especially the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League finals,” Hacıosmanoğlu said. “Most recently in May, we hosted football fans from all over the world in Istanbul as part of the UEFA Europa League final. Now, we will put all our experience forward for the 2027 Spanish Super Cup. The Spanish Super Cup, which has been held in Saudi Arabia for five years, will take place in Istanbul between Feb. 2 and Feb. 6,” he said.
He noted that the tournament will be broadcast live in more than 150 countries, offering significant global exposure for Türkiye and its sporting infrastructure. Domestically, the matches will be broadcast on HT Spor.
“The Spanish Super Cup will reach millions of football fans by being broadcast live in more than 150 countries worldwide,” Hacıosmanoğlu added. “In this respect, the organization will make a significant contribution to Türkiye’s international visibility and brand value. Football fans coming to Istanbul will not only witness the struggle of world stars, but also have the opportunity to closely experience our country’s thousands of years of history, unique culture, and strong passion for sports.”
Expressing his appreciation to political leadership and international partners, Hacıosmanoğlu extended gratitude to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Saudi officials, and RFEF leadership for facilitating the agreement. He also thanked host clubs Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş and Galatasaray for providing their stadiums and training facilities.
Saudi Arabia holds the hosting rights to the expanded Super Cup format under a multi-year agreement with the RFEF.
Turkish sports authorities underscored that full administrative capabilities will be mobilized to ensure seamless hospitality for visiting teams, officials, and international supporters.
With Ballon d’Or voting set to close in less than two weeks, top contenders are mounting unusually public campaigns for football’s biggest individual prize.
This self-promotion is a relatively recent development in a team sport where, until a few years ago, the top individual prize went largely unnoticed until it was time to present it.
But now, the Ballon d’Or dominates the football conversation during the months when the new European season is still finding its feet.
The trophy will be presented on Oct. 26, while the final sprint began on Sept. 8 when France Football, the award organizer, released the list of 30 candidates to succeed Ousmane Dembele.
The ceremony will be in London, even though only five of the 30 nominees play in the English Premier League.
The award carries no cash prize, but it has become worth increased income and status to players and their teams.
Many stars have related bonuses in their boot contracts while the award also increases their overall marketing value and that of their club.
The two all-time leading Ballon d’Or winners, Lionel Messi, who has picked up the trophy eight times, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who won five times, both have annual sponsorship income estimated by Forbes at more than $65 million.
Clubs can expect to sell more merchandise if one of their players wins.
Some 100 invited journalists – one representative from each of the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings – will cast votes.
With no clear favorite, the stars and their PR agencies are stepping up their campaigns. Achievements are shamelessly paraded to scrape together votes.
‘I deserve it’
“For me, Mbappe and I, we’re the two best players in the world,” Lamine Yamal, who has won the World Cup and La Liga in 2026, said in an interview on Movistar Plus.
“I honestly think that, as the best in the world, maybe there are two of us, and this year I deserve it because of what I’ve won,” the 19-year-old added.
He was responding to the Frenchman, who days earlier had emphasized the award’s individual nature – after a year in which he won no trophies with either Real Madrid or France, who lost a World Cup semifinal to Spain, but scored 10 World Cup goals to take his tally to an all-time leading 22.
“Being the all-time top scorer in World Cup history, overtaking all the great legends in the history of the sport in the most important tournament there is, is something that really stands out, a global event. Who am I voting for? Myself,” said the striker, who was also the top scorer in last season’s Liga and Champions League.
His manager, Jose Mourinho, did not hesitate to back up the argument: “We know who has made history this summer and he’s not from PSG or the Spanish national team.”
In 2024, Real Madrid boycotted the ceremony after learning just before they were due to travel that none of their seven nominees had won.
This year, Paris Saint-Germain have a record 10 nominees, after retaining the Champions League.
That number, and also the side’s reputation for collective team spirit, may count against them.
Their leading candidates are Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Fabian Ruiz, the only player on the list to have won both the Champions League and the World Cup this year.
‘Why not dream?’
“Why not dream?”, the unassuming Spanish midfielder told French television.
PSG are refusing to pick one individual while arguing that the winner has to be one of their players.
“Kvara and Doue are incredible players. For me Kvara could win the Ballon d’Or, as could Dembele and others,” said coach Luis Enrique.
Dembele told France Football that he would not try to influence the poll.
“May the best player win; in any case, it’s not us who are voting,” he said. “I never sell myself. It’s up to them to decide.”
Meanwhile, England captain Harry Kane, who scored 73 goals while leading Bayern Munich to a German domestic double and his country to third in the World Cup, remains quiet.
Bayern are speaking up for their leader, putting together a video in which team-mates said that Kane should win.
“He deserves to win it, 100 per cent, without a doubt,” said Colombian Luis Diaz, who is also on the shortlist.
Beşiktaş host French side Olympique de Marseille Thursday to open their UEFA Europa League campaign, looking to extend a flawless home record and welcome back star striker Dusan Vlahovic.
The Black Eagles enter the newly structured league phase on strong footing under manager Vincenzo Italiano, boasting a fully healthy squad with no reported injuries.
Central to Italiano’s attacking setup is Vlahovic, who returns to the lineup after serving a one-match domestic suspension in the Süper Lig following a disciplinary sanction stemming from the derby victory over Fenerbahçe.
The 26-year-old Serbian international missed Beşiktaş’s recent domestic fixture against Erzurumspor, but he has been in clinical form this season, scoring four goals across five appearances in all competitions.
The Istanbul powerhouse earned their place in the Europa League’s main stage through a grueling qualifying path, successfully navigating three rounds.
Beşiktaş initiated their European campaign in the second qualifying round with 1-0 and 2-0 victories over Danish side Midtjylland before eliminating Czech club Hradec Kralove with consecutive 1-0 wins in the third round.
In the play-off round, Beşiktaş secured a 3-0 home victory against Lithuanian club Kauno Zalgiris before dropping the return leg 1-0 away, advancing comfortably on aggregate.
Across six European qualifying fixtures this season, Beşiktaş compiled a 5-1-0 record, conceding just a single goal while scoring eight. Marseille, by contrast, qualified directly for the competition’s league phase.
Dominance on home soil has been the defining feature of Beşiktaş’s season thus far. The Istanbul club have won all six of their home fixtures across the Süper Lig and European play at Tüpraş Stadium, traditionally known to supporters as Dolmabahçe
In addition to their three European victories, Beşiktaş have registered domestic wins at home against Eyüpspor (1-0), Çorum FK (6-2), and Erzurumspor (3-0), outscoring opponents by a combined 15-2 margin on home turf.
Beşiktaş also carry strong overall momentum into Thursday’s match on the heels of a three-game winning streak. After suffering consecutive 1-0 setbacks against Alanyaspor in domestic play and Kauno Zalgiris in the second leg of the play-offs, Italiano’s squad rebounded with victories over Çorum FK, Fenerbahçe, and Erzurumspor.
Italiano has submitted a deep squad to UEFA for the campaign, anchored in goal by Alexander Nübel alongside Doğan Alemdar and Mehmet Tuğra Yeşilyurt. The defensive unit features Emmanuel Agbadou, Tiago Djalo, Rıdvan Yılmaz, Kassoum Ouattara, Taylan Bulut and Amir Murillo.
In midfield, Beşiktaş possess extensive depth with Wilfred Ndidi, Orkun Kökçü, Leandro Trossard, Vaclav Cerny, Fabio Miretti, Salih Özcan, and Junior Olaitan. Upfront, Vlahovic leads an attacking group that includes South Korean forward Hyeon-gyu Oh, Ernest Poku, and Turkish international Semih Kılıçsoy.
The opening-round fixture at Tüpraş Stadium is scheduled for a 10 p.m. local kickoff, with Italian official Andrea Colombo appointed to referee the match.
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