Lionel Scaloni fires back at FIFA favouring Argentina allegations in World Cup: ‘They don’t want us to win'

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni didn't mince his words as he fired back at the allegations of FIFA favouring his team in the World Cup.

Updated on: Jul 11, 2026, 10:34:09 IST

Written by Vishesh Roy

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Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni didn't hold back as he fired away at the allegations that FIFA was favouring his team in the ongoing World Cup. Ahead of the quarter-final against Switzerland, the Argentina manager said that there are some people in the tournament who don't want his side to win, and hence the accusations of being favoured by the global body keep popping up. The notion of FIFA favouring Argentina in the World Cup has become a major topic of discussion among football fans, especially on social media.

Lionel Scaloni didn't mince his words as he fired back at the allegations (AFP)

These claims largely stem from a series of controversial refereeing and VAR decisions in Argentina's matches. Many supporters are alluding to Argentina's Round of 16 victory over Egypt, in which an Egyptian goal was ruled out after a VAR review, and a penalty appeal from Egypt was rejected. These decisions led Egypt's coaching staff and many fans to question the fairness of the officiating.

However, Scaloni made his own accusations, saying there are people all around the world who don't want Argentina to win, and the same fact is driving his players to rebel and win the trophy for the second World Cup in a row.

Also Read: Argentina VAR controversy, Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal early exit: Robin Singh refuses to hold back | Exclusive

“The thing is, we might have a lot more people who don’t want us to win because we won the last one, and well, we take that into account. And yeah, it gets to the players. We use criticism or comments to rebel. To stage a rebellion and make the players play even better," Scaloni told reporters on Saturday.

‘Campaign’

Some fans also believe that FIFA benefits commercially from keeping Messi in the tournament. However, this argument is based on opinion rather than verified facts.

Critics also continue to argue that several close calls have repeatedly gone Argentina's way. However, Scaloni dismissed all these theories, saying that people continue to speculate because Argentina won the last World Cup.

“It’s been a long time, 40 years as you just said, since 1986, right? They were saying we were favoured back then, too. So it’s not something new. As far back as I can remember, Argentina has always been one of the teams that stir up the tournament, always. And in a way, as you rightfully pointed out, it’s used to show the players that there are people who don’t want Argentina to win. But that’s normal, just like there will be people who don’t want another national team to win," said Scaloni.

“I think with VAR and all these things, it’s very hard for them to help you. Very hard, very hard. There’s no double interpretation with VAR. Plus, they made it crystal clear to us in that course they gave us before the World Cup started. They showed us all the footage. This is how it’s going to be, it’s going to be like this, like that. And it’s been followed to the letter," he added.

Argentina will next take on Switzerland in the quarter-final on Sunday, July 12.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vishesh Roy
Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.Read More

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