Argentina narrowly edged their way past minnows Cape Verde in the World Cup round of 32, and the pulsating tie was not without its refereeing controversy, with official Drew Fischer accused of failing to enforce a strict FIFA rule during the encounter.

Lional Scaloni’s side endured a tumultuous 90 minutes against a resolute Cape Verde outfit, but ultimately overcame the tournament’s surprise package to set up a round of 16 clash with Egypt. Lionel Messi’s stunning goal was cancelled out by Deroy Duarte’s strike in normal time, before a chaotic extra-time secured Argentina’s progression.

Lisandro Martinez’s neat finish gave the reigning Champions the lead, before Sidny Lopes Cabral’s sublime effort threatened to take the game to penalties. However, Cape Verde’s fairytale journey was brought to an end when defender Diney Borges diverted a Messi corner into his own net late on.

Referee Accused of Not Enforcing FIFA Rule in Argentina vs Cape Verde

Messi may have been involved in a wholesome moment with the Cape Verde players after the match that encapsulated the spirit of this poetic affair in Miami, but the game didn’t fail to spark outrage online.

Canadian referee Fischer was accused of not conducting his due diligence over one specific incident late in the game.

FIFA rules state that any player who receives medical treatment for an injury is required to leave the pitch for one minute and cannot return until that time is up. This is one of a number of newly introduced laws for this World Cup, designed to prevent time-wasting tactics.

However, this rule seemingly wasn’t enforced during the game between Argentina and Cape Verde. Left-back Nicolas Tagliafico required treatment on a bloody nose after he’d collided with Emiliano Martinez.

The Lyon defender needed to change his shirt, yet Cape Verde were instructed to wait until Tagliafico had re-entered the pitch before taking the corner they’d earned.

Many felt this was a violation of FIFA’s rules, and took to social media to vent their frustrations around Fischer’s failure to impose this regulation on Argentina.

One fan wrote on X: “Haven’t you all been blown away by this? Tagliafico has to leave the field, and they don’t take the corner kick until they let him back in. The Cape Verde guys are mind-blown. The other day, [Mikel] Oyarzabal was a minute and a half unable to get back on. They play by different rules.”

Why Fischer Didn’t Enforce Rule in Argentina vs Cape Verde

REUTERS/Marco Bello

On the surface, it does seem as though Fischer didn’t enforce a rule, and this ultimately favoured Argentina. However, it’s now been cleared up and revealed that there was a stipulation with Tagliafico’s incident.

Per SPORTbible, IFAB’s Laws of the Game state: “A player bleeding from a wound must immediately leave the pitch to receive treatment and will only be permitted to return once the referee is fully satisfied that the bleeding has stopped and all traces of blood are completely removed from their uniform or equipment”.

Bleeding prompts a unique outlook when it comes to assessing when or when not a game should resume. Thus, Tagliafico’s incident was different and Fischer’s decision was technically correct.

That said, it has been pointed out that there was a lack of time added on in stoppage time to compensate for this collision and subsequent time lost, which Cape Verde can certainly feel aggrieved by.

Canada’s identity on the football pitch has always been a quieter story than its hockey rinks, but with the nation co-hosting the 2026 World Cup alongside the USA and Mexico, ‘O Canada’ has echoed louder than ever before.

It’s a song most Canadians know by heart from school assemblies and hockey nights, but as the home crowd belt it out at the World Cup on home soil, here’s everything you need to know about the anthem’s lyrics and meaning.

‘O Canada’ Lyrics

Official Lyrics of the anthem:

O Canada (French Lyrics):

Canadians singing O Canada

At major tournaments, the anthem tends to draw a similarly fierce response from Canadian fans as their footballing neighbours, with bilingual crowds often blending both English and French verses into one rendition, reflecting the country’s officially bilingual status.

Meaning of O Canada Explained

REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian

The song was originally commissioned for a Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day ceremony in Quebec City in 1880, with Lavalle composing the music before Routhier supplied French Lyrics. An English translation followed in 1906, but it was Robert Stanley Weir’s 1908 version, written independently rather than as a direct translation, that eventually became the basis for the official English lyrics.

The English lyrics centre on themes of patriotism and natural strength, referencing the “True North strong and free” and a collective duty to defend the homeland. Notably, the anthem officially consists of just one verse in each language, even though the original poems by both Routhier and Weir ran to four verses apiece.

The English lyrics were modified as recently as 2018, when the line “True patriot love in all thy sons command” was changed to “True patriot love in all of us command” to make the wording gender-neutral. The French lyrics, meanwhile, lean more heavily on religious and historical imagery, with references to the sword and the cross reflecting Quebec’s Catholic heritage, and have remained largely untouched since 1880.

Despite being written and performed as early as 1880, ‘O Canada’ wasn’t officially adopted as the country’s national anthem until 1980, a full century after it was first sung, meaning it will have only marked its 46th anniversary as Canada’s official anthem when it’s belted out at the World Cup on home soil this summer.

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Former England Test match captain Ben Stokes has dropped a major hint as to why he resigned from the role during last weekend’s third Test with New Zealand at Trent Bridge.

The 35-year-old informed his teammates of his decision at the start of Sunday’s fourth day, but didn’t make the news public until 3:25pm, at which time he was in the middle of a marathon bowling spell towards the back end of the second session.

The timing of the announcement was no coincidence, with the release of a statement orchestrated to ensure that Stokes was at the centre of the action when his decision came out.

Ben Stokes Took A Wicket Moments After Announcing His International Retirement

In fairness to the man himself, he made the most of the stage, finding the edge of Zak Foulkes’ bat with his first ball after the news went public. Harry Brook took a fine catch at second slip to give Stokes a fairytale wicket.

The Durham man addressed some of the motivation behind his decision in a post-match interview with Sky Sports, where he blamed the demands of playing at the highest level for his decision to walk away from the international game.

However, many suspect that there is more to the story. Although Stokes was captain of the side for the third Test, he had been dropped for the second Test, along with teammate Gus Atkinson, after breaking a team curfew.

Andrew Boyers via Reuters

Stokes’ first social media statement on his retirement from international cricket included a suggestion that external pressure had played a major role in his decision.

The legendary all-rounder called his England career “a mad 15 years”, before making a telling admission, indicating that he may have resigned before bosses had the chance to sack him.

“My time was up, and no one was going to be able to make that decision other than me.”

Stokes’ decision-making during the final hours of his England career also suggested that he wanted to make a point to his bosses. In a curious call, the skipper decided to promote himself up the order to open in his final Test match innings.

With England looking to chase down 373 for an unlikely victory, Stokes blazed a quick-fire 30 off 20 balls in a cameo packed with risky shots as the hosts lost all chance of victory by chasing the game in kamikaze fashion.

As he walks away from the international game, Stokes has already named the man he wants to replace him at the helm of the Test team. Although he will no longer represent his country, he is expected to carve out a lucrative career for himself on the global T20 circuit.