Lionel Messi red card row takes new twist as FIFA told mistake made at World Cup

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Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey believes Lionel Messi should have been sent off for his challenge in Argentina's victory over Algeria . The Argentine skipper stole the show with a World Cup hat-trick against the north Africans .

It only took him 17 minutes to open the scoring for his country in Dallas City. However, as he was chasing down the ball, Messi stamped on the back of Aissa Mandi's leg, sending the Algerian star to the ground in pain.

Messi's studs firmly made contact and he immediately held his hands up in apologetic fashion. However, the 38-year-old remained on the pitch , despite the fact he committed the kind of challenge which often results in a straight red card.

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Speaking to the Sun , Halsey believes the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner should have seen red. He said: "Listen, the referee, Marciniak was in an excellent position and I thought he refereed the game very well. But when you look at the incident, Messi did endanger the player's safety, Aissa Mandi.

"When you look at the incident, the ball is not within playing distance so it's not serious foul play. It has to be violent conduct because it comes down as a stamp. It's classed as a stamp. I was really surprised that VAR didn’t recommend a review, especially when you go back to the opening game.

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" Mexico vs South Africa when Themba Zwane was adjudged to have committed an act of violent conduct and VAR recommended an on-field review to the Brazilian official. For me, that was never, ever violent conduct and VAR should not have gotten involved in that incident.

"But they get involved in that incident and they don't get involved in this incident. It's absolutely barmy. For me, I think Messi was a very, very lucky player because that stamp endangered the player’s safety."

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Halsey also challenged FIFA referee chief Pierluigi Collina to offer an explanation into how the Barcelona legend remained on the pitch. He added: "Did that challenge endanger the player's safety? With or little excessive force?

"Now, for me I think that it did endanger the player’s safety. If you ask any player that's played the game, when someone rakes their studs down the back of your calf, that could put you out for a long, long time.

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"So for me that did endanger the player's safety and that, whoever the player is, that should not come into it. Now, I'd like to hear [Pierluigi] Collina's version of that incident when they come out and do their their press conference."

Messi did not even receive a yellow card for the challenge. He went on to score two fine goals to secure a 3-0 victory and put his country in the driving seat of Group J, which also features Austria and Jordan .

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