Referee Szymon Marciniak gave a penalty to Argentina in the first half of the match that led to Lionel Messi scoring a goal and giving his team the lead vs France in the FIFA World Cup 2022 final.

Fans are miffed with the referee for his decision in Argentina’s favour and have started their criticisms on social media. Check out some of the reactions right here:

One fan said on Facebook, “I absolutely love Messi but if this is how he’s going to be gifted the WC, might as well stop the match rn and hand all the golden things- the cup, ball and boot- to Argentina.”

However, not all fans have been so critical of the referee. Some said that it was a clear penalty, albeit a soft one. One fan pointed out that France have been uncharacteristically poor in the match:

Lionel Messi is now the highest scorer of the tournament. He has netted in six goals to Kylian Mbappe’s five. This means if Mbappe does not score, he will be awarded the Golden Boot for the highest goals in the tournament. And with the way he has been leading his side in this edition of the World Cup, chances are Messi will also take home the Golden Ball. He earlier won the Golden Ball in the 2014 FIFA World Cup despite Argentina losing to Germany in the final.