Argentina have been at the forefront of many controversial decisions during the 2026 World Cup, and many fans have been left questioning the legitimacy of the tournament and whether FIFA has a biased agenda towards Lionel Messi and Argentina.

Messi had a stellar 2022 World Cup campaign as he was the main man behind Argentina’s tournament win, and he hasn’t let up in this tournament four years on, as he currently battles for the tournament’s golden boot award.

However, the Argentine has perhaps benefited from some controversial refereeing decisions, which have cast doubts over the tournament, and it isn’t the first time Messi has been the centre of refereeing problems.

Messi’s 2022 World Cup Controversy

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Flashback to 2022, Argentina were facing up against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals and had taken a 2-0 lead. Referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz had dished out 17 bookings during the game, including sending off Dutch full-back Denzel Dumfries. The Netherlands had brought the game back to 2-2, taking the tie to a penalty shootout, which Argentina won and went on to win the tournament.

Speaking after the tie, Messi said: “This match shouldn’t have ended as it did. I don’t want to talk about the referee because they sanction you. But people saw what happened. We were afraid before the match because we knew how he was and I think FIFA has to review this. You can’t put a referee like him for these matches.”

Fellow Argentina teammate Emiliano Martinez also spoke out after the game. He said: “The ref gave everything to them. It all turned upside down. He gave 10 minutes extra time for no reason. He just wanted them to score.

That referee is crazy. Arrogant. You say something to him and he talks back to you. It’s crazy. Because Spain were eliminated, he wanted to eliminate us. He is the worst referee at the World Cup. Hopefully we won’t have him again – he’s useless.”

After these post-match quotes from Messi and Martinez, Lahoz was never to be seen in the World Cup. The referee was suspended and kicked out of the tournament; that would be the last match he refereed in the competition.

As far-fetched as claims of bias towards Messi may seem, seeing a referee sent home from a tournament following comments from the Argentine does raise some interesting questions.

Referees rarely receive ‘punishments’ as such following poor standards, so seeing Lahoz disappear after an incident with the world’s biggest star does seem interesting, to say the least.

Messi went on to lift the World Cup in 2022, beating France in the final, and the winger added another Ballon d’Or to his tally.

Is the 2026 World Cup a Similar Story?

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This World Cup has also seen similar controversies surrounding Messi and his Argentina side. In the group stages, Messi appeared to challenge an Algerian player from behind, with his studs digging into the player’s calf, yet there was no referee intervention, and VAR allowed the game to continue.

In their most recent game, Argentina got away with many decisions as they came back from 2-0 down to beat Egypt 3-2. Egypt had a goal ruled out following a foul that had happened at the complete opposite end of the pitch, whilst Argentina scored similarly, yet their goal was allowed to stand.

Egypt’s Mostafa Ziko alleged that the World Cup was ‘rigged’ in Messi’s favour. If Argentina does go on to win this World Cup, FIFA could be faced with some tough questions to answer from the footballing world.

Max Holloway has revealed the nine words he shouted during his 69-second victory over Conor McGregor at UFC 329 on Saturday night.

McGregor and Holloway were scheduled to go five rounds at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in a rematch of their August 2013 bout. ‘The Notorious’ won that fight via decision, despite sustaining a torn ACL during the contest.

Injury would again play a part at UFC 329, but this time the Irishman was unable to battle his way through to victory.

Conor McGregor Suffers Devastating Injury at UFC 329

Entering the Octagon for the first time in five years, McGregor damaged his right leg badly while throwing a jumping roundhouse kick in the opening moments of the fight. The 37-year-old didn’t manage to land the blow, but his awkward landing when his right foot hit the canvas essentially ended the bout before it had really begun.

To his credit, McGregor did all he could to try and stay in the fight. However, every time he tried to regain his footing, the former two-division UFC champion fell straight back down to the mat.

It was immediately obvious to those close to the action that Conor was in serious trouble. Among those to instantly realise something was wrong was Holloway himself.

What Max Holloway Shouted During UFC 329 Win Over Conor McGregor

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Speaking during his appearance at the post-fight press conference, Max was asked for his views on the fight’s premature ending.

The 34-year-old told the media exactly what he screamed at referee Mike Beltran once he knew that McGregor was badly injured.

“I told the ref: ‘Ref, stop the fight. He doesn’t want to fight!'”

The official would eventually take note of Max’s words, calling a halt to the fight after a little more than a minute. Holloway insisted he had no desire to inflict unnecessary damage on his incapacitated opponent, reasoning:

During his post-fight interview, Holloway floated the idea of a trilogy fight between the pair. McGregor has yet to answer that challenge as he limped out of the arena without speaking to Joe Rogan.

However, McGregor did break his silence on his loss, describing his mood as “beyond dark.” A potential diagnosis has emerged for Conor’s injury, and it does not appear that he will be back in action any time soon, if at all.

Backstage sources indicate that McGregor was offered crutches when he made it back to the locker room. McGregor is believed to have turned down any assistance and was later seen hobbling out of the venue on foot.

The long-awaited return of Conor McGregor ended in perhaps the most disappointing fashion, as an injury brought a stop to the contest just after the one-minute mark, with Max Holloway picking up the win via TKO.

From the off, McGregor didn’t look himself, with him struggling to put weight onto his right leg before even entering the Octagon. It only got worse as the fight began, as every time he applied weight onto the leg, he seemingly buckled to the mat.

The situation has led to plenty of discourse over how the injury came to be. Many have wondered whether it was an issue from training camp, or if it came from the early kick. Doctor Brian Sutterer has now given his thoughts on the whole situation, with a detailed breakdown of what actually occurred.

What’s Been Said About Conor McGregor’s Injury

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In the post-fight press conference, Holloway admitted it felt like McGregor was different even prior to getting into the cage, as he said: “Even with him walking to the Octagon, it didn’t seem like the same Conor.”

He acknowledged his calmness, which perhaps differed from the rowdy McGregor we have seen over the past decade.

It wasn’t just Holloway who gave his thoughts, however, as Paddy Pimblett also reacted to the situation.

After talking with the doctor, UFC president Dana White talked about the injury potentially being a torn ACL, saying: “We are assuming a blown ACL. I’m no doctor, but that’s what I figured when I saw it, and doctors think the same way too.”

This is, of course, a fresh reaction to the situation, with doctor Sutterer providing a different view.

Doctor Analyses Conor McGregor’s UFC 329 Injury

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Sutterer almost immediately took to his YouTube channel after watching the fight, and gave his analysis on what happened to McGregor. Among his thoughts, he looked at the first exchange, and what happened to the knee of the Irishman as he tried to land an early head kick.

“As he goes and lands, that knee is going to twist and rotate. This is a compromising position that’s challenging on the knee, but we don’t see that classic tibia shift forward, pop backwards to confirm that this is 100% an ACL,” he said.

After looking at more of the exchanges, and how McGregor seemingly couldn’t put any weight on his right leg, he gave his initial reading on what the issue actually is.

There was also some consideration of how awkward McGregor looked when preparing to walk into the Octagon. Notably, he looked quite considerate about not putting pressure on the leg.

“This absolutely to me looks like somebody who was dealing with something on that right knee, and didn’t want to put their weight down on it to brace and catch their fall,” Sutterer explained.

In terms of when McGregor can look to return, Sutterer thinks that, if it is just the meniscus tear, then it may be surgical with a three-to-sixth month recovery. However, if it is more serious than that, with the ACL, it will be a much longer absence.