2 hours ago 
Image source, Getty Images
Argentina person made the quarter-finals aft winning 3-2 successful the archetypal 2 knockout rounds
By
Football issues correspondent
Argentina are throwing everything astatine the defence of their World Cup rubric - and they person needed to.
After being expected to steamroller past Cape Verde and Egypt successful the archetypal 2 knockout rounds, La Albiceleste had to combat bony and nail for 3-2 victories.
But the triumph implicit Egypt came with an borderline arsenic the African federation asked Fifa to footwear the officials successful complaint of their last-16 decision retired of the tournament.
Egypt person alleged bias successful favour of Argentina and favouritism towards their prima player, Lionel Messi.
After the game, manager Hossam Hassan said Egypt had been "treated unfairly" and "suffered injustice".
Hassan went connected to allege immoderate benignant of bias from Fifa.
"Perhaps they wanted to support the satellite champion successful the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to enactment successful the running," helium said.
BBC Sport examines whether determination is thing successful the conspiracy mentation that everything is being acceptable up for Argentina to succeed.
Is determination immoderate merit to Egypt's complaints?
Image source, Getty Images
Egypt caput manager Hossam Hassan was booked for protesting aft Argentina's victor
It is casual to recognize wherefore Egypt would consciousness truthful frustrated aft Tuesday's 3-2 defeat.
The Africans had led 2-0 with 11 minutes to play, connected the brink of a historical first-ever quarter-final appearance.
But it each went incorrect arsenic Argentina stormed backmost to crook the crippled connected its caput and people the victor successful stoppage time.
Egypt accidental determination was thing much fishy astatine play. They enactment their exit down to "serious refereeing mistakes" and "double standards" from French referee Francois Letexier and his team.
The Pharaohs had a extremity ruled retired done a video adjunct referee (VAR) intervention.
They besides assertion Argentina's victor should person been disallowed, and a punishment awarded to them instead.
Mostafa Zico's superb extremity was chalked disconnected aft Marwan Attia was penalised for stepping connected the ft of Lisandro Martinez astatine the commencement of the move.
It was controversial, but they were starring 1-0 and did people a 2nd extremity 9 minutes later. You cannot beryllium the crippled would person taken a antithetic way had Zico's extremity stood.
Egypt believed determination were 2 imaginable punishment claims successful their favour earlier Enzo Fernandez headed location the clinching goal.
Hamdi Fathy went to crushed claiming helium was held by Alexis Mac Allister, which was unclear connected replays, portion Mohamed Salah felt helium was tripped by Julian Alvarez.
There were immoderate similarities betwixt the Martinez and Salah situations, with foot-on-foot contact, but not capable to represent a penalty.
Egypt stood a amended accidental of getting the extremity chalked disconnected if Salah had been extracurricular the area. The VAR would simply beryllium judging a foul - arsenic was the lawsuit with Martinez - alternatively than a penalty.
Controversial? Absolutely. But it is hardly impervious of a conspiracy successful favour of Messi.
France to look a implicit squad of Argentine officials
Take a look astatine the appointments for Thursday's semi-final betwixt France and Morocco.
For the archetypal clip astatine this World Cup the full on-field officiating squad - referee, some assistants, 4th authoritative and the reserve - are from the aforesaid country.
And that state is Argentina.
In Facundo Tello's different 2 appointments, the 4th authoritative and reserve were archetypal from Saudi Arabia, and past Colombia.
The statement is that Argentina would privation France to beryllium knocked out. After all, they are the tourney favourites.
This is 1 of the biggest games of Tello's career, his 2nd World Cup quarter-final successful successive tournaments. Such a high-profile referee is not going to enactment without the utmost integrity.
But cognition is often conscionable arsenic important, and appointing Argentine officials against France successful the quarter-finals is not a large look.
Messi avoids a reddish paper and goes connected to people 5 goals
Image source, Getty Images
Lionel Messi escaped a VAR reappraisal for the benignant of situation that saw Folarin Balogun dismissed
Cast your minds backmost astatine the commencement of the tourney and a imaginable reddish paper for Messi.
Messi did not adjacent person a booking for his situation connected Algeria skipper Aissa Mandi.
Then, past week, occurred 1 of the astir high-profile incidents of this World Cup.
Folarin Balogun was sent disconnected connected VAR reappraisal against Bosnia successful akin circumstances. Both made interaction connected the opponent's precocious calf.
The United States are believed to person made this constituent erstwhile warring to get Balogun's prohibition removed.
If sent off, Messi would not person scored his 2 goals against Algeria, nor the treble against Austria, arsenic helium would person been banned - unless Fifa decided to enact nonfiction 27 arsenic it did with Balogun.
Messi would besides person been unavailable for the last radical crippled against Jordan erstwhile helium again scored.
That takes distant 5 of the 8 goals helium has scored astatine the tournament.
Was this peculiar attraction of Messi?
How Infantino has made definite Messi plays successful the past
Image source, Getty Images
Lionel Messi has scored 8 goals astatine this World Cup and is present the competition's all-time starring scorer connected 21
Fifa president Gianni Infantino seems to similar having Messi astatine his tournaments.
Take the inaugural Club World Cup past year, held successful the United States.
There was a spot of a hold earlier it was confirmed which squad from the big state would instrumentality part.
Surely it would beryllium the 2025 champions? After all, this is simply a tourney for the champion teams based connected defined merit.
Close, but not quite.
Inter Miami won the 2024 MLS Supporters' Shield, which is awarded to the squad with the astir points.
But it was LA Galaxy who went connected to beryllium crowned champions, winning the play-offs.
Yet Inter Miami were chosen for the Club World Cup.
That allowed Messi to play successful the opening game, astatine Inter Miami's Hard Rock Stadium, against Al Ahly.
The World Cup bracket favours Argentina
Argentina implicit bonzer comeback to bushed Egypt
Fifa made a tiny but important tweak to the World Cup gully successful December.
The apical 4 nations successful the Fifa satellite ranking - France, Argentina, Spain and England - were drawn into abstracted quarters.
If those countries were to triumph their groups - which they did - they would not beryllium capable to conscionable until the semi-finals.
France and Spain are successful 1 fractional and connected people to conscionable successful the semi-finals, with Argentina and England successful the other.
The thought is it limits the accidental of marquee ties aboriginal successful the tournament.
But, depending connected however the groups decorativeness up, it besides gives those countries a much favourable path.
In the archetypal 2 knockout rounds, determination were lone 2 meetings of the world's apical 10 - Netherlands v Morocco and Spain v Portugal.
Argentina would look to person been fixed the kindest route, adjacent though they lone conscionable bushed Cape Verde (67th successful the world) and Egypt (29th) 3-2.
Next up successful the quarter-finals it is Switzerland (19th).
England volition not look 1 of the apical 10 unless they travel up against Argentina successful the imaginable semi-final. They did person to bushed Mexico (14th) successful the Azteca.
Spain person beaten Portugal (5th) and present play Belgium (9th), portion France conscionable Morocco (7th) successful the quarters.
Argentina person had the champion of this.
Are referees showing Argentina less yellowish cards?
The quarter-finals travel with a risk. Seventeen players are 1 booking from being ruled retired of imaginable semi-final.
There is not truthful overmuch jeopardy for Argentina, with lone Gonzalo Montiel astatine hazard of missing a last-four day with England oregon Norway.
England manager Thomas Tuchel has 4 players connected a booking, and that includes cardinal players Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice.
Norway, who person received the fewest bookings, person lone Antonio Nusa connected a yellow.
To measure this you request to instrumentality into relationship conscionable however 'dirty' a squad has been. Does the fig of yellows lucifer the fig of fouls?
Argentina person received a caution each 19.7 fouls.
Only 3 teams - Czech Republic (37.0), Norway (24.0) and Tunisia (27.0) - person a higher yellow-to-fouls ratio.
Of the teams inactive active, England person been treated astir harshly, with a yellowish paper each 7.7 fouls.
Argentina person committed much fouls than England, yet person received fractional arsenic galore cautions.
This could suggest Argentina are treated much favourably compared to the fig of fouls they commit.
The penalties support stacking up for Argentina
When Argentina won the World Cup successful 2022 they acceptable a caller grounds successful the process.
The 5 penalties they were awarded was the astir immoderate squad had ever received successful 1 tournament.
In 2026, they again pb the mode with 3 spot-kicks - though Messi has missed 2 of them, against Austria and Egypt.
England and Switzerland person been awarded two, with Belgium, France and Norway connected one.
English (US)·