India, June 20 -- Algeria have officially lodged a complaint with FIFA regarding the "refereeing injustice" in their opening World Cup 2026 match against Argentina earlier this week. The Group J match saw Lionel Messi register his first hat-trick in the World Cup, and, owing to this performance, the defending champions cruised to a 3-0 victory. However, the match also witnessed one controversial moment after Messi caught Algeria defender Aissa Mandi on the calf with a studs-up challenge. However, the referee just awarded a free kick, and no card was shown to the Argentinian superstar.

According to the news agency AFP, a source from the Algerian football federation has taken offence at Messi not being shown a red card and has therefore fi...