‘Nothing was handed to Argentina’: Lionel Messi brushes off favoritism claims

Lionel Messi hit back at critics who questioned Argentina’s progress to the World Cup finals, insisting the defending champions deserved it all through their performances and not through favorable officiating or outside influence.Trailing 1-0 after 85 minutes, Argentina beat England 2-1 in Wednesday’s semi-final to book their place in the final, where they will face Spain on Sunday.The win sparked celebrations in Buenos Aires and thousands of fans filled the streets as Argentina moved to within one win of back-to-back World Cups.It was also another comeback in a tournament where Lionel Scaloni’s side repeatedly found their way back into games. Argentina had previously beaten Cape Verde and Switzerland in extra time and recovered from 2-0 down with 11 minutes to go to beat Egypt 3-2.However, these victories also brought criticism. Coaches from Switzerland and Egypt questioned the referees’ decisions after their defeats. Egypt coach Hossam Hassan even claimed that his side were on the wrong side of a football club that favored Messi and Argentina.The complaints added to criticism from some fans who claimed the World Cup game had benefited Argentina, while unsubstantiated claims circulated on social media suggesting FIFA wanted the defending champions to retain their title.Messi rejected these suggestions after the win over England.“For the last four years we have been the best, whether you like it or not and regardless of what anyone says,” Messi said after the win over England.“We have re-established ourselves as one of the top two teams in the world. This proves that everything we have done has not been a fluke and nothing has been handed to us.”Until now, Argentina has been largely reticent in responding to allegations of patronage. Coach Lionel Scaloni had previously advised journalists not to “consume so much social media” when asked about the issue during previous press conferences.But after reaching another World Cup final, the reigning champions decided to respond.“Reaching two consecutive World Cup finals is something that very few people achieve and this group has done it,” Messi said. “If we had lost to England there would have been people who would have spouted some rubbish but we didn’t give them a chance.The semi-final against England also revived one of football’s longest-running rivalries, shaped not only by sport but also by a dispute over the Falkland Islands, known as the Malvinas in Argentina.The British government on Thursday called on FIFA to investigate Argentina after the players celebrated the victory by posing with a banner handed to them by supporters that read “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” – “The Malvinas are Argentines”.Midfielder Enzo Fernandez admitted his celebration after scoring Argentina’s equalizer was a message to those who criticized the team.The Chelsea player first put his hands to his ears before repeatedly opening and closing his fingers, a gesture commonly used in football to tell critics to keep talking.“There was a lot of talk, it was a mixture of euphoria and frustration,” Fernandez said.