4 min readJul 8, 2026 04:53 PM IST
First published on: Jul 8, 2026 at 04:53 PM IST
Politics is never far from the football pitch, but events before and during the ongoing FIFA World Cup have taken matters to another level, to the extent that the line between the two has been blurred considerably.
The world body annulling the red card to USA forward Folarin Balogun, after a call from President Donald Trump, before the Round of 16 game against Belgium, and what transpired in the game between Argentina and Egypt have prompted many fans to believe in conspiracy theories and alleging that forces away from the turf have a hand in deciding winners and losers.
“After the Balogun affair, who knows which decisions are legitimate and can be trusted, and which can’t?” Simon Chadwick, professor of Afro-Eurasian sport at the Emlyon Business School in Shanghai, told Al Jazeera.
There have been claims that a day after Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal and co-hosts United States exited the tournament, Lionel Messi’s Argentina also bowing out wouldn’t have been ideal from a marketing and revenue aspect.
Already, ticket prices have fallen by up to 50 percent after the home team and one of the biggest stars in the contemporary game were knocked out of the World Cup.
But some have pointed to a political angle as well, with Argentina’s fire-right president Javier Milei being a staunch Trump supporter, while Egypt coach Hossam Hassan dedicating his team’s progress through the draw to the suffering Palestinians. Trump has described the populist Argentine leader as his “favourite president.”
While reluctant to attribute motives to the refereeing calls in Tuesday’s game in Atlanta, Chadwick nevertheless said that the period of play was “unusual,” especially when Egypt’s second ‘goal’ was disallowed.
“There was something distinctly unusual about the goal and VAR decision, something that was amplified when Argentina scored one of its goals,” Chadwick, who is also Professor of Sports Enterprise and Co-Director of the Centre for Sports Business at Salford University in Manchester, said.
“In the build-up, an infringement was perpetrated by an Argentina player, which could have been interpreted as a similar offence to that supposedly committed earlier by the Egyptian player. At the very least, refereeing standards during the game were somewhat inconsistent, although critics are clearly making much more serious claims.”
Chadwick said football fans have a right to know about the discussions between on-field French referee Francois Letexier and those in the VAR booth. He questioned why VAR officials had raised the issue if the on-field officials did not call a foul when Egypt‘s Marwan Attia lightly tugged the shirt and stepped Lisandro Martinez’s foot.
The British academician suggested a protocol “for fans and viewers to listen to an assessment of the alleged offence, hear the various arguments, and have a clear insight into the basis for a decision”. He said that “a sense of injustice was induced by the VAR decision.”
“This technology was supposed to minimise doubt and bring consistency. Instead, its use during this match had significant cognitive and behavioural effects. Indeed, rather than brandishing cards and inflaming the situation even further, the referee should have used his discretion and judgement to defuse the situation.”
Chadwick admitted that Messi’s continuation in the competition added lustre to it, but refused to give credence to allegations of fixing of results in favour of Argentina.
“There is no doubt that Messi is a box office attraction the tournament really can’t afford to be without.”
The world body annulling the red card to USA forward Folarin Balogun, after a call from President Donald Trump, before the Round of 16 game against Belgium, and what transpired in the game between Argentina and Egypt have prompted many fans to believe in conspiracy theories. (AP) 
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