Claims of Copa America Favoring Lionel Messi and Argentina Arise After Canada Boss’ Fine Demand Falls Short

Argentina has been dominating international soccer for the last few years. The team went undefeated for a staggering 36 matches, narrowly missing out on Italy’s record to become the team with the second-longest unbeaten streak in history. However, after their defeat to Saudi Arabia in the 2022 World Cup, Lionel Messi and his troops have risen to have a similar effect except for one defeat since then.

Yet, the current Copa America has raised a lot of apprehension about the tournament’s credibility, especially by rivals. After the Canadian manager demanded a fine for Argentina’s lapse against his team, a senior Chilean journalist now expressed concerns about the favor they are receiving.

Fernando Agustín Tapia has recently felt that the Copa America may have been tuned to help the Albiceleste win the tournament. According to La Cuarta, he said, “This is the way to pave the way, this is the way to take Argentina by the hand to the final. That’s the way it’s set up.”

He further said, “Forgive me, but I am suspicious. If you want to get your hopes up that Chile is going to reach the final, or Venezuela, Ecuador, or Mexico… no,” citing that Argentina who wanted in the finals. In addition, he also gave two reasons to back his speculation.

Tapia first stated that the tournament was organized in such a huge manner that they could not afford Argentina to exit early. Hence, he felt that if Chile progressed further should have met Argentina in the final, but would face them again in the semifinals because of the bracket. The top two teams from Group A will meet the top two squads from Group B in the quarterfinals.

Further, the quarterfinal winners will also face teams from similar groups in the semifinal. In addition, tough competitors like Brazil, Uruguay, and Venezuela are sent to the other side of the bracket to favor the Albiceleste claimed by the journalist. However, the Chilean also cited an in-game event as an example.

Officials blamed for favoring Lionel Messi and the team

With the organizers being accused of making the setup easy for Lionel Messi’s Argentina, the officials in the game have also been called out. Tapia felt Rodrigo de Paul should have been sent off against Chile due to a foul on opponent, Gabriel Suazo. De Paul stepped on Suazo while taking a shot at the goal, leaving him hurt, but Uruguayan referee Andrés Matonte refused to penalize him. Hence, the journalist explained Argentina was favored to win in the second game in itself as they would have sufficient time for the quarterfinal.

Moreover, the Canadian coach also claimed that the officials allowed Argentina to arrive late in the second half and questioned them about not demanding a fine. Lionel Scaloni’s boys arrived 5 minutes after the Canadian team, but coach Jesse Marsch claimed they stayed in the dressing for longer periods.

He said, “If we were five minutes late, we’d get a fine. There would be a big problem. Let’s see what happens with Argentina, I think they have to be fined. How late were they? 20 minutes? 30?”, contending that they were analyzing Canada’s game during that period.

Despite all the accusations, the tournament has provided some interesting contests, but how the organizers choose to respond will be a million-dollar question.