Lionel Messi and Argentina Favored During the World Cup, Van Gaal Says

Nine months after Argentina won the World Cup in Qatar, former Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal suggests that Lionel Messi’s team benefited from favorable circumstances, if not more.

Messi and Argentina aided by FIFA and referees? Louis Van Gaal thinks so, although he doesn’t explicitly say it. He told NOS, a Dutch media outlet: « I don’t want to go further into the subject. Look at how Argentina scored, how we scored, and how some Argentine players crossed the line without being punished. I think everything was premeditated, » he said, referring in particular to the tense quarter-final that Argentina won against the Netherlands (2-2, 4-3 on penalties).

According to the Dutch coach, everything was « premeditated. » Manipulations would have been put in place to favor Argentina’s victory in the World Cup. « I stand by everything I say, » Louis van Gaal insisted. « Was Messi supposed to become a world champion? I think so, » he concluded.