An online petition demanding Argentina's expulsion from the World Cup has blown through its five-million target in just a few days. The campaign accuses FIFA and its officials of bias towards Lionel Messi's side. It has no legal force whatsoever, but as Argentina prepare for Wednesday's semi-final against England, it has become impossible to ignore.
The petition did not appear out of thin air. Argentina trailed Egypt 2-0 in their round-of-16 tie in Atlanta before scoring three times in the final 13 minutes, a comeback soured, for many, by VAR chalking off a Mostafa Ziko goal and by penalty appeals that went unanswered. Egypt coach Hossam Hassan said his team had been "cheated" and that officials "wanted Messi to stay in the running." His federation demanded an investigation into the referee crew.
Then came the quarter-final match against Switzerland. Both teams were level at 1-1 when Breel Embolo collected a second yellow card for simulation, and ten-man resistance finally broke in extra time. The final score was 3-1 for Argentina. Two contentious wins in a row, both benefiting the champions. For the petition's authors, this is a pattern.
The petition authors claim that Argentina is favored at this World Cup. "It is obvious that FIFA and the referees are biased toward Lionel Messi and Argentina," it reads. "Why should the rest of the world compete when the winner has already been decided?"
Millions of football fans seem to agree with these accusations. 2.5 million people signed the petition by Sunday, and the count increased to 3.7 million on Monday. By Tuesday, the site's live counter read over six million signatures, well over the 5 million goal. And the count is climbing by the hour.
The counter sits on an independent website, and there is no way to check the numbers, but the trajectory is hard to argue with. Parallel petitions on Change.org, and at least one counter-petition begging FIFA not to expel Argentina, have sprung up alongside.
The site has no standing with FIFA, and eligibility and sanctions rest solely with football's governing body. FIFA has already given its answer through Pierluigi Collina, who dismissed Egypt's complaint and insisted that "nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials."
What the campaign does achieve is pressure. Every whistle in Wednesday's semi-final against England will be refereed twice, once in Atlanta and once by millions of fans worldwide watching for confirmation of what they already believe.
