Refereeing controversies have dominated the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but according to former pro Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the criticism is not as impartial as some claim. Following France’s win over Morocco, which featured a contentious goal, he accused Lionel Messi’s critics of applying a double standard.
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“Today, more than ever, I’m convinced that the campaign after the Argentina vs. Egypt game wasn’t against Argentina—it was aimed specifically at Messi,” Ibrahimovic said, according to @appiecule on X. “Today we saw a very clear handball in the build-up to Mbappé’s goal. The goal should have been disallowed, yet it stood. And still, we didn’t see the same outrage or the usual accusations.
“Where are the people who kept claiming Messi had FIFA’s full support? They’ve completely disappeared. Because for them, it was never about refereeing or fairness—it was always about Messi. Their problem has always been Messi. Cristiano Ronaldo’s fanbase is extremely emotional and simply doesn’t like Messi.”
Ibrahimovic argued that the silence around the controversial French goal contrasted sharply with the FIFA fans’ outrage that surrounded the Argentinian victory over Egypt in the Round of 16.
Zlatan Ibrahimović with a statement for the history books:
“Today, more than ever, I’m convinced that the campaign after the Argentina vs. Egypt game wasn’t against Argentina—it was aimed specifically at Messi.
“Today we saw a very clear handball in the build-up to Mbappé’s… pic.twitter.com/1I7HGqPQGa
— Appie Culé (@appiecule) July 10, 2026
Here’s the background: In the game between Morocco and France, Kylian Mbappé’s opening goal, which was ruled good, allegedly had a handball from midfielder Adrien Rabiot that occurred in the buildup to the goal. The referees, however, did not go for a VAR review, which is mandatory according to FIFA’s rules if a handball directly leads to a goal. Instead of the officiating, however, Ibrahimovic focused on the reaction to the event.
He referenced the intense fallout that took place following Argentina’s Round of 16 win over Egypt, which featured several controversial decisions, including a VAR review disallowing an Egypt goal after a foul from Marwan Attia took place in the attacking phase.
The match caused widespread allegations that FIFA favored the defending champions, causing FIFA’s Chief Refereeing Officer to defend the integrity of match officials.
Regardless of whether fans agree with Ibrahimovic’s sentiment, his comments are certainly divisive. The former striker clearly believes that, deeper than the officiating debates, for some fans, the issue isn’t FIFA, but Lionel Messi.
