Do superstars like Lionel Messi receive special treatment from referees? Yes, but it's complicated

Yes, superstar players receive preferential treatment from referees, although not as much as many fans think. But something else is true: anything these players do on or off the field receives a disproportionate amount of attention, making it impossible for them to receive a fair hearing. Lionel Messi's careless tackle on Algerian defender Aissa Mandi in Tuesday's World Cup match is one example, in keeping with what some observers see as the Argentine's tendency to escape punishment that less famous players would receive. Few referees would have sent him off for that play — not because he was Messi, but because there was no intention or intensity in his actions. It's worth remembering that the referee was Szymon Marciniak, responsible for the 2022 World Cup final. We're not talking about a newcomer. The reactions of the Algerian players, who saw no malice in the action, must also be considered. Players often defend a teammate who is deliberately injured and are currently trained to cause an uproar to ensure that VAR analyzes the replays in detail. The Algerians' collective lack of interest would have been one of the considerations in the VAR review room, given that these professionals are criticized for delaying the game when no one on the field seems interested in reversing the referee's decision. You may not like this, but it's the truth. If you want a more clinical process with more consistent results, you will have to tolerate longer delays and leave the referees alone to make their decisions. I don't see that happening anytime soon.


When reviewing the play, the decision becomes more challenging, as there is no doubt that Messi's spikes were planted in Mandi's calf. It felt painful, and his reaction seemed genuine. Some VARs could have recommended an on-field review due to the possible serious consequences of the tackle, which appeared to put Mandi at risk of injury. In that sense, Messi was lucky, as the referee could have shown the red card if he had seen the slow-motion replays of the injury on the sideline monitor. For a player to receive a straight red card for a serious foul, there must be evidence that he put the opponent's safety at risk or used excessive force. Watching in real time, the referee would not have seen any of this. The contact seemed incidental and accidental, unforced and deliberate, and a free shot was sufficient. Of course, Mandi was injured but didn't require treatment, which makes it difficult to build a case for a red card. I appreciate that some will interpret this analysis as a license for players to simulate the severity of an injury (which many already do) and aggressively surround the referee to get the opponent sent off (idem). But the best referees in the world are smart enough to recognize the difference between a player who is actually in pain and one who is squirming like a child in crisis, and to distinguish between genuine anger and a fake show of indignation. If I had been blowing the whistle, I would have followed Marciniak and just awarded a free kick. He would have made a mistake, but only because he should have shown a yellow card. If I were in VAR, a lot would depend on the first replay I saw, as this strongly impacts the final result. THEProtocol in England is to watch such challenges at full speed from a wide angle first, to assess the nature of the entry. Based on this, it is highly unlikely that I would be moved to intervene based on the still images and high definition replays. Lionel Messi won the World Cup. I would like to believe the result would have been the same if the roles had been reversed and Messi had been the target. That's highly likely, but I couldn't look you in the eye and say that for sure.

Referees are charged with being strictly impartial, but at the same time expected to be more lenient towards offenders who are "not that kind of player" while not prejudging those with reputations, however deserved. Regarding superstars, referees can be criticized either way. Some believe that this level of debate only occurs because of the player's fame; others point out that you cannot have one set of rules for a footballer and another for someone who is not as celebrated. Both arguments are well founded. The degree to which referees are influenced or even intimidated by the identity of an at-fault player varies from one official to another. The best are able to set aside all prejudices and judge each incident based on its merits and context, and every referee swears they always strive to do this. But there are few officials who can achieve this objective absolutely, as everyone knows that the investigation that will follow an incorrect red card shown to a legend of the game will be unbearable. We are human. Consider the treatment of my former colleague Michael Oliver, whose wife was bombarded with hateful messages after he ousted Italian great Gianluigi Buffon. Being right didn't save him, or her, in fact. Any bias, subconscious or otherwise, is on the margins and relates to decisions that can go one way or the other. I'm confident Marciniak would have made the same decision even if Messi had been the target of the same tackle. Such is the cult of personality surrounding players like Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo that rational debate is impossible. YouTubers, TikTokers and other online commentators aren't going to rack up clicks by exploiting nuance, just picking sides. Following Tuesday's incident, there was a rush to unearth footage or photos of Messi's hand against the Netherlands in the 2022 World Cup quarter-finals, which was not punished with a yellow card. That decision was also on the margins, as the foul didn't stop the Dutch from launching a promising attack, but it could easily have led to caution as it was so cynical. As a result, Messi was free to commit a foul for which he was cautioned, safe in the knowledge that he would only receive his first caution. Messi's foul on Tuesday carried more nuance, although most people only saw it in a slow replay or still image, and their conclusions were drawn from there. If only the players would back up their oft-quoted claim that all they want is for referees to make "right" decisions by giving us the space to do so, rather than surrounding, harassing and intimidating us in an attempt to force us into submission. An unrealistic desire, I know.

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