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'VAR-gentina?': Anti-Argentina conspiracy theories out in force at World Cup

Argentina's march to the World Cup semi-finals has been accompanied by a wave of online conspiracy theories, including claims of favorable refereeing and an easy draw. A petition demanding the team's disqualification has gathered over 2.5 million signatures, while critics point to specific incidents such as Lionel Messi avoiding a red card.

By Tertius News AI Desk 2 outlets · 2 articles Version 1 Coverage Jul 13, 2026 Published Aug 15

Lead

Argentina's run to the World Cup semi-finals has been overshadowed by a surge of online conspiracy theories, with critics alleging that refereeing decisions and the draw have favored the defending champions. The controversy has culminated in an online petition demanding Argentina's disqualification, which has gathered over 2.5 million signatures, according to the Russian state news agency TASS.

The petition, posted on argentinaout.com, claims that "FIFA and the referees are biased toward Lionel Messi and Argentina," and asks: "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." TASS reported that the petition has been signed by more than 2.5 million people.

Argentina is set to face England in the semi-finals in Atlanta on Wednesday, a match that has been described as a blockbuster.

Coverage comparison

Two outlets have reported on the controversy from different angles. The Buenos Aires Times, an English-language Argentine publication, presents the conspiracy theories as a phenomenon engulfing Argentina's journey, noting that social media is "awash with AI-generated videos and memes" amplifying the narrative, such as a fabricated image of FIFA President Gianni Infantino embracing Messi on the Titanic. The outlet's tone is neutral, aiming to present facts and different perspectives.

TASS, the Russian state news agency, focuses on the petition, highlighting the claims of bias and the growing public outrage. Its tone is more sensational, emphasizing the controversy and the demand for action.

Both outlets mention that Argentina has had a relatively easy draw, but they cover different aspects of the story: the Buenos Aires Times details specific incidents, while TASS cites the easy bracket as one of the examples used by netizens.

Key claims

A central incident cited by critics is that Lionel Messi escaped a red card during Argentina's group stage match against Algeria. The Buenos Aires Times reported that, with Argentina leading 1-0, Messi raked his studs down the right calf and Achilles tendon of Algeria captain Aissa Mandi in the 30th minute. Polish referee Szymon Marciniak awarded a free-kick but did not sanction Messi further, and Messi went on to score a hat-trick.

Several pundits argued that Messi should have been sent off. ESPN pundit and former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha said: "It should have been a red card in my opinion. Messi knew he did something that could have got him in trouble. I personally feel it is a red card." Former Bundesliga referee Patrick Ittrich agreed, saying: "For me, that is a red card. We have various examples from the Bundesliga where that was punished with a red. By the letter of the law, that is a red. If I had seen it like that on the pitch, I would have shown red."

The Buenos Aires Times also reported that Egypt's players and coaching staff were outraged by refereeing decisions in their match against Argentina. In the Round of 16, Argentina beat Egypt 3-2, coming from 2-0 down in the 79th minute, as reported by TASS. A pivotal VAR call helped Argentina win against Switzerland in the quarter-finals, with the match ending 3-1 in extra time, according to the Buenos Aires Times.

Critics argue that Argentina has had an easy draw throughout the tournament. TASS cited the playoff bracket as an example, noting that in the Round of 32 Argentina defeated Cape Verde 3-2 in extra time, and in the quarter-finals beat Switzerland 3-1 in extra time. The Buenos Aires Times mentioned the "kind draw" as part of the conspiracy narrative.

Algeria's football federation filed an official complaint following the group stage match, as reported by the Buenos Aires Times.

How each outlet told it

Buenos Aires Times as of Jul 13, 2026, 8:00 PM UTC

Framing: Argentina's World Cup run marked by controversy and conspiracy theories — Neutral, with a focus on presenting the facts and different perspectives

Facts Included:

Argentina's journey to the World Cup semi-finals has been marked by controversy and conspiracy theories
Lionel Messi escaped a red card in the group stage match against Algeria
Egypt's players and coaching staff were outraged by refereeing decisions in their match against Argentina
A pivotal VAR call helped Argentina win against Switzerland in the quarter-finals
Critics argue that Argentina has had an easy draw in the tournament

Read the source article →

TASS — English as of Jul 13, 2026, 1:00 PM UTC

Framing: Petition demands Argentina's disqualification from World Cup — Sensational, with a focus on highlighting the controversy and outrage surrounding Argentina's run

Facts Included:

A petition demanding Argentina's disqualification from the World Cup has gained over 2.5 million signatures
The petition claims that FIFA and referees are biased towards Lionel Messi and Argentina
Argentina has had a relatively easy draw in the tournament

Read the source article →

What was claimed, and who backed it

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimLionel Messi escaped a red card in the group stage match against Algeria.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from Buenos Aires Times as of Jul 13, 2026, 8:00 PM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimEgypt's players and coaching staff were outraged by refereeing decisions in their match against Argentina.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Buenos Aires Times as of Jul 13, 2026, 8:00 PM UTC
ClaimA pivotal VAR call helped Argentina win against Switzerland in the quarter-finals.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Buenos Aires Times as of Jul 13, 2026, 8:00 PM UTC
ClaimCritics argue that Argentina has had an easy draw in the tournament.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from Buenos Aires Times as of Jul 13, 2026, 8:00 PM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimA petition demanding Argentina's disqualification from the World Cup has gained over 2.5 million signatures.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 13, 2026, 1:00 PM UTC
ClaimThe petition claims that FIFA and referees are biased towards Lionel Messi and Argentina.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 13, 2026, 1:00 PM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

2 outlets · 2 articles consulted: Buenos Aires Times, TASS — English 6 claims extracted Version 1 Written 2026-08-15