The Copa America 2024 quarter-final match between Argentina and Ecuador has been nothing short but a nail-biter. While many events unfolded during the tense atmosphere of the match, one notable incident involved a shocking challenge from Cristian Romero on rival defender Moises Caicedo. However, no card was given by the referee to the Argentinian center-back, which has left the netizens in disbelief as they are accusing Copa America of favoring Lionel Messi and Co.

The incident transpired during the second half. Ecuador was trying to find a goal and they put the ball near the penalty box. Interestingly, in an attempt to steer Argentina away from danger, Romero tried to make the clearance. While it proved successful, it saw his right kick get in contact with Caicedo’s left knee. From the looks of it, the challenge could have almost ended his career. Luckily, the attacking midfielder didn’t sustain any kind of injury as he carried on with the match until the final whistle.

However, to everyone’s interest, even though it wasn’t an intentional challenge from Romero, the Tottenham Hotspur defender walked out of the moment without receiving any booking. Forget a yellow card but not a single intervention from the referee to look into the matter. Instead, the game was left to be played with its normal tempo. This has rather left the internet in disbelief, as they are slamming the official’s call for neglecting such a hard challenge.

Fans call out Copa America for favoring Lionel Messi after Cristian Romero’s shocking challenge neglected

The ref’s ignorance to book Cristian Romero has left the X, formerly Twitter, fuming. They are not only slamming the stakeholders of Copa America for poor officiating from the referees but also questioning their integrity for conducting a fair tournament.

This fan has made a direct allegation at Copa America organizers that they are subtly favoring Lionel Messi and Argentina, as the challenge clearly deserved a red card. If the referee had made the call, then it would have seen the 2022 World Cup winners remain at just 10 men.

Messi and Co. are entering this tournament as reigning champions, having won the previous contest in 2021. Prior to this, they had endured many shocking defeats and failures in the tournament. Yet, this fan argues that the CONMEBOL-based competition is partial to Lionel Scaloni’s side.

There has always been a debate about which is better: the Copa America or the UEFA Euro. However, this fan argues that there is no room for debate, as he raises concerns over the officiating standards in Copa America, an issue that has rarely been a problem in the European tournament.

Recently, during USMNT vs. Panama, Team USA and many other notable names called out the referee’s pathetic officiating. Today’s seems to be a similar case, as this fan calls the Argentina vs. Ecuador match rigged.

The claims of Argentina being favorites don’t seem to take a toll. Again, this fan has slammed Copa America stakeholders for trying to produce things in favor of Lionel Messi and Co.

Be that as it may, it seems like fans won’t let this incident slide away this easily. However, we would like to know your opinion. Did Cristian Romero deserve a red card over his challenge on Moises Caicedo? Let us know in the comments.