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A refereeing controversy involving Lionel Messi has sparked a storm in the Arab world after Algerian journalist Mustafa Al-Muizzawi made antisemitic remarks on live television, claiming the Argentine star was protected by “the Jewish lobby.”

The comments came after Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Algeria, a match in which Messi scored a hat trick but was not shown a card for a controversial tackle on Algerian defender Aïssa Mandi. Messi appeared to challenge for the ball but struck the Algerian player’s leg, prompting criticism from some viewers and commentators who argued the incident should have been reviewed as a possible red card offense.

The referee awarded only a foul and did not issue even a yellow card. VAR did not intervene.

But the debate quickly moved beyond soccer after Al-Muizzawi linked the decision to Jews and global influence.

“Messi is protected. They acknowledged that. Messi is protected by the Jewish lobby. This lobby controls the world, they run it however they want as if they were the mafia.

Infantino doesn't want us to do well. We are a country with dignity, we are a country named Algeria. We have political stances regarding Western Sahara and the Palestinian issue, and therefore they don't want us to do well. If we had the ability to win the World Cup, they would prevent it from us,” he said during the broadcast.

Al-Muizzawi accused FIFA President Gianni Infantino of working against Algeria’s success and claimed the country’s political positions on international issues, including the Palestinian issue and Western Sahara, affect how it is treated in global soccer.

The remarks triggered backlash because they echoed classic antisemitic conspiracy theories that portray Jews as secretly controlling global institutions, politics and sports.

The controversy began with criticism of the decision not to send off Messi, but Al-Muizzawi’s comments turned the dispute into a broader row over antisemitic rhetoric in sports commentary.

helinues:
A journalist with his personal opinion.

Algeria have been mature in the way they handle things unlike Morocco

omoredia:
These musIims are not reaIIy okay. This is not a joke anymkre

RealLordZeus:
because of the opinion of a man, more than 2bn ppl are not okay.
Don't you think your sanity should be evaluated

omoredia:
These musIims are not reaIIy okay. This is not a joke anymkre

BlackViper:
Conspiracy theories are to the modern world what superstition was to the ancient world.

It is how unintelligent people look at the world because they don't have to take personal responsibility for their failure. They can always shift the blame to some faceless and shadowy entity.

Lukuluku69:
Jewish lobby protecting Messi? He is Jewish? To what end?

Is Messi the expected Messiah?

Nonsense journalism and journalist.

So, it was the Lobby that asked the Algerian Goalkeeper to lay 3 goals like old layers?

Nonsense again and again.

DomPerignon:
Messi is of German ancestry .

He is rumoured to be Hitler's grandson.

Remove the moustache and you will see Messi

P1PrinceKT:
How is that anti-semetic? Just saying the truth is anti-semetic

nairalanda1:
The reason why Messi is good is because he and Ronaldo have insane training methods and even more insane diets

If not, they would have long since retired

Guy just wants to trend for the gram

P.S Protect ke? Man wey just win one world cup, when he hasn't done Pele's three?

Kalulu44:
See eh! The love for Messi and Ronaldo by each one of us won't let us say the truth.
If it was another player that commits that foul, will he still be on the pitch to score that hatrick?
As for the political angle the journalist took it to, I don't know and have anything to say about that

DeltaBachelor:
lol. The journalist is delusional. However, I expected Messi to be shown a red card for that bad tackle sha. If was any other “ordinary “ player, they would have been sent off