A petition to get the Lionel Messi led Argentina team out has already garnered 7.5 million signatures
According to the South China Morning Post, nearly 6 million individuals have signed an online petition calling for Argentina's exclusion from the FIFA World Cup. This follows charges of referee favouritism. That amount has jumped to 7.5 million
XtraTime Newsdesk: Argentina, the defending FIFA World Cup winners, face England in the second semi-final of the 2026 tournament. Prior to the match, public outcry grew over Lionel Messi's team's alleged preferential treatment by officials. According to the South China Morning Post, nearly 6 million individuals have signed an online petition calling for Argentina's exclusion from the FIFA World Cup. This follows charges of referee favouritism.
The statement from the campaign, by argentinaout.com, reads: "It is obvious that FIFA and the referees are biased toward Lionel Messi and Argentina. Why should the rest of the world compete when the winner has already been decided? Kick Argentina out of the World Cup and give everyone else a fair chance." By Wednesday morning, 7.5 million had already signed the petition.
England and Argentina will face off in the next round of one of the sport's most fascinating rivalries.
The history of the nations' matches is rife with events, all set against the backdrop of a persisting sovereignty dispute over the Falkland Islands, known in Spanish as the Malvinas, in the South Atlantic.
The match takes place 40 years after Diego Maradona's historic "Hand of God" goal propelled Argentina to a 2-1 victory in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.