Lionel Messi: Fan Claims Copa America Was Rigged for Argentina To Win
- Lionel Messi's latest win with Argentina in the 2024 Copa America has now come under scrutiny on social media
- A football fan has drawn up a list of reasons why he thinks the tournament was rigged for the Inter Miami star to win
- YEN.com.gh critically analyses some of the reasons given in the interesting X thread and compares them with the known facts at hand
A football fan has meticulously compiled a series of reasons for how the Copa America was allegedly rigged so that Lionel Messi would win.
Argentina successfully defended their continental title, beating Colombia in the July 14 final at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
Source: Getty Images
'Rigged' is a word we often hear in political circles but has found its way into sports. The Ballon d'Or and some title wins are some of the instances that have been dogged by claims of unfair processes.
YEN.com.gh looks into some of the fan's sentiments about Argentina fraudulently winning the Copa America and follows it up from a factual point of view.
Why Copa America was held every other year
The fan, LLF, whether in jest or seriously, took issue with CONMEBOL organising five Copa America editions in the last nine years. We had tournaments in 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021, and 2024, which technically made it a once-every-22-month tournament instead of once-every-48-months (four years) as originally planned.
LFF argues that CONMEBOL increased the number of tournaments to give Messi more opportunities to win. The official reasoning is that between 2001 and 2007, the tournament was held every three years.
Then in 2007, it became a quadrennial event, but they altered the cause again in 2016 to mark their 100th anniversary. The 2021 edition was supposed to be held in 2020 but was postponed due to COVID. The organisers' plans were to move it to even years to be in sync with the European football championships.
Why Copa America has no extra time
LFF's other reason was that extra time was scrapped in the quarter-finals and semi-finals to give Argentina a chance in the penalty shoot-outs where 'they are good at'. While it's true Emi Martinez has made them unplayable in shootouts, it is important to note that Copa America has never had extra time in case of a tie, save for the final. The 2011 tournament was the only exception.
No Round of 16 in Copa America
The issue of Copa America not having the Round of 16 also came into play, as it gave Messi and Argentina one less game to play. Now, CONMEBOL has only 10 member countries and has repeatedly been forced to send invitations to other countries to shore up the numbers.
This year, after an agreement with CONCACAF, Canada, Costa Rica, the United States, Jamaica, Mexico, and Panama were guests, bringing the total to 16. In a 16-team tournament, it is practically impossible to have the Round of 16.
Why Argentina faced Canada twice in 2024 Copa America
The other question posed by LFF was why Argentina had to play Canada twice in their run to the final. Admittedly, Lionel Scaloni's side were handed the easier side of the draw on paper, given that they didn't have to face one of Colombia, Brazil and Uruguay until the final.
The pitches were another bone of contention, but it was an all-round issue with Uruguay boss Marcelo Bielsa and his Canada counterpart, Jesse Marsch, particularly issuing scathing comments about the whole organisation.
Copa America 2024 organisation was a disaster
The fans said that the pitches were intentionally made small since Messi's gameplay doesn't involve a lot of running. It's true; the pitches used at Copa America were small. The Athletic reports that CONMBEOL moved to make all the pitches similar in size to ensure that no team gained an advantage.
But why change it in the first place? Given that it was held in America, most of the pitches were tailored for the NFL, which uses different dimensions for football. The pitches were therefore reduced to the smallest possible size of 100 metres long and 64 metres wide, allowed for international competitions.
For context, this is the size of pitches U-13 academy players regularly use.
CONMEBOL issue apology over Vinicius Junior mistake
The question of debatable refereeing decisions also came to the fore. CONMEBOL admitted to an officiating mistake involving Vinicius Junior in Brazil's game against Colombia.
But Argentina's head coach Scaloni is used to the all-too-familiar tone of the game being rigged to help his marquee captain.
"Anyone can write whatever they want on social media. I would be cautious because they said the same in Qatar," he said, as quoted by Albiceleste Talk.
Read also
Copa America: The real reason why Ronaldo could support Messi in the final against Colombia
Hey, what is life without a few conspiracy theories? Right?
How much Shakira earned for signing in Copa America final
YEN.com.gh also reported how much Shakira was paid for Copa America's final performance.
The Colombian pop star entertained fans in Miami during the half-time break of the match between Argentina and her native country.
The half-time was extended by 25 minutes to accommodate the performance.
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Source: Legit.ng
