Argentina left-back Marcos Acuna has made things difficult for his side by being booked in the first half of their quarterfinal match against the Netherlands. He had also received a yellow card in their round of 16 clash against Australia.
This means that if Argentina qualify, Acuna, who has been booked in two consecutive games, will not be able to play in the semifinal against Croatia.
FIFA’s rules state that if a player receives a red card in a match or is shown a yellow card in two back-to-back matches in a competition, the said individual will not be able to play in the next game.
Referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz, who is known for his quirky and chatty style, showed a record 11 yellow cards in the match which included the captains of both teams: Lionel Messi and Virgil Van Dijk.
At end of the match, Messi hit out at the referee saying that he is not up to the mark for a FIFA World Cup match, and asked FIFA to look into the matter.
“I don’t want to talk about the referee because you can’t be honest,” Messi said in the post-match interview. “If you talk they sanction you, FIFA must think about it, they can’t put a referee like that for these instances, they can’t put a referee who isn’t up to the task.”
Argentina won the match in penalties and now they will be facing Croatia in the quarter-final of the FIFA World Cup 2022.
