Football superstar Lionel Messi was not punished for a bad tackle at the World Cup because he is “protected by the Jewish lobby”, an Algerian pundit claimed on live TV.
Messi, 38, appeared to step on the calf of defender Aissa Mandi during Argentina’s 3-0 win over Algeria at the Kansas City Stadium in the US last week.
The Polish referee, Szymon Marciniak, awarded Algeria a free kick.
But to the surprise of many fans, Messi was not sent off and did not even get booked for the tackle.
The Polish referee, Szymon Marciniak, did award Algeria a free-kick.
Algerian journalist Mustapha al-Maazouzi, one of the most popular media figures in the country, declared: “Messi is protected by the Jewish lobby. This lobby controls the world. They run it however they want, as if they were a mafia. Gianni Infantino [the president of FIFA] does not want things to go well for us.”
Al-Maazouzi continued, live on air: “We are a country with dignity. We are a country called Algeria. We have political positions regarding Western Sahara and the Palestinian issue, and that is why they do not want things to go well for us. If we had the ability to win the World Cup, they would find a way to prevent us from doing so.”
Following the remarks, Algeria’s TV regulator said his comments had “exceeded the bounds of professional sports analysis”.
The National Independent Authority for the Regulation of Audiovisual Media issued a statement saying: “We followed several sports programmes and analyses broadcast on television that dealt with the match between Algeria and Argentina as part of the 2026 World Cup. “During the broadcasts, remarks were heard that exceeded the bounds of professional sports analysis and descended into accusations, defamation, and inflammatory and offensive statements.
"We emphasise that issues of this kind must be discussed within a professional, balanced, and respectful analytical framework, while preserving the dignity of individuals and institutions and avoiding baseless accusations or incendiary discourse.”
In its statement, the authority called on all broadcasters in the country to uphold the rules of professionalism and responsibility and to respect the governing legal and ethical provisions.
It clarified that it would continue monitoring broadcast content, and that if similar incidents recur, it could take action against those involved.
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