The Penalty Conspiracy
One of the most persistent claims is that Argentina was awarded an unusually high number of penalties. They were given five spot-kicks in seven games—a record for a single team in any World Cup. The argument is that some of these were 'soft' calls designed
to give Messi’s team an advantage. Looking at each incident, the picture is more complex. The penalty against Saudi Arabia was for a clear shirt pull, a textbook foul under modern VAR scrutiny. The one against Poland, where Wojciech Szczęsny's hand grazed Messi's face, is widely considered the softest of the lot, with even Messi looking surprised. The penalties against the Netherlands and Croatia were both awarded for goalkeepers fouling an attacker one-on-one. While debatable, both follow the letter of the law where a keeper impedes a player who has touched the ball past them. Finally, the penalty in the final on Ángel Di María was a classic trip. While the quantity was historic, it's difficult to argue that more than one of the five was outright incorrect, and even that one was not a clear and obvious error by VAR standards.
The Battle Against the Netherlands
The quarter-final against the Netherlands descended into chaos, with Spanish referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz brandishing a record 18 yellow cards. Critics point to this match as proof of a referee losing control in a way that ultimately benefited Argentina, who won on penalties. Lahoz was accused of being overly lenient on Messi, who escaped a booking for a deliberate handball, and too trigger-happy with other players.
However, blaming Lahoz for pro-Argentina bias misses the wider context. He is a notoriously eccentric referee known for his card-heavy, theatrical style in La Liga. Both teams were guilty of escalating tensions. The Dutch bench repeatedly provoked the Argentinians, and Leandro Paredes kicking the ball into the Dutch dugout was a flashpoint. Lahoz’s performance was widely seen as poor by all sides, not biased. He wasn't favouring one team; he was simply failing to manage an intensely volatile game. FIFA quietly sent him home after this match, a tacit admission of his poor performance, not a confirmation of conspiracy.
Controversy in the Final
The final against France was an all-time classic, but it also had its share of refereeing debates. The first penalty, won by Di María after a challenge from Ousmane Dembélé, was seen by many as soft. Dembélé made minimal contact, but it was a clumsy, trailing-leg tackle from behind on a player cutting into the box at speed. Referees almost always give those.
It’s also crucial to remember that the calls didn't all go one way. France was awarded a crucial penalty when Randal Kolo Muani was pulled down by Nicolás Otamendi, sparking their comeback. Kylian Mbappé scored a second penalty later in extra time for a clear handball. If there was a plan to simply hand the trophy to Argentina, the script went haywire. The referee, Szymon Marciniak of Poland, was largely praised by neutral observers and even FIFA's head of refereeing, Pierluigi Collina, for his handling of an incredibly high-pressure final. He let the game flow when he could and made decisive calls—for both sides.
Was Technology on Their Side?
If there was a concerted effort to help Argentina, the conspirators forgot to inform the new semi-automated offside technology (SAOT). In their shocking opening loss to Saudi Arabia, Argentina had three goals correctly disallowed by SAOT in the first half alone. Lautaro Martínez had two 'goals' chalked off by the thinnest of margins—the kind of offside that would have been missed entirely in a pre-VAR era.
This early-tournament evidence is a major counterpoint to the bias narrative. The technology was ruthlessly impartial, and it worked against Argentina. This demonstrates that the system, at least technologically, was applied consistently to every team. The idea that a plot existed to help Argentina win requires ignoring the fact that the most objective tool in the tournament decisively ruled against them in their very first match, leading to a loss that put their entire campaign on the brink of collapse.
