In a recent friendly match, Lionel Messi had a moment of leniency from the officials, while Folarin Balogun faced a harsh consequence.
On Wednesday, Balogun received a red card, leading many fans to express their disbelief and frustration, with some questioning the fairness of FIFA’s officiating. Their annoyance likely stems from the fact that Messi had a similar incident earlier in the tournament without facing any penalties.
During the group stages, Messi inadvertently stepped on Algerian captain Aissa Mandi’s leg while attempting to tackle, which left Mandi in considerable pain.
Unlike Balogun, who was carded while tussling for a loose ball against Bosnia and Herzegovina defender Tarik Mujaremović, Messi walked away without a yellow or red card during the 2-0 victory.
After the collision, the referee opted to review the play via VAR, likely influenced by Mujaremović being on the ground in apparent distress.
While Mandi was clearly hurting, he didn’t escalate the situation by surrounding the referee with teammates, which can often lead to more scrutiny of the play.
Perhaps it’s a case of Messi enjoying some preferential treatment that Balogun hasn’t yet encountered, but this card definitely put a dent in the American team’s strategy.
As ESPN analyst Ale Moreno noted, the narrative surrounding elite players often leads to them getting a different standard of officiating. He remarked on Messi’s near hat-trick, pointing to a moment where FIFA president Gianni Infantino visibly reacted to a critical save by the opposing goalkeeper, suggesting that Messi’s star status influences the calls he receives.
Ultimately, Messi concluded that match with a hat trick, contributing to Argentina’s 3-0 triumph.
Sadly for Balogun, he won’t be able to participate in the upcoming Round of 16 clash against Belgium on Monday.
