# More Than 6 Million People Sign Petition to Remove Argentina From the World Cup Over Referee Bias Claims

> More than six million people have signed an online petition demanding Argentina's removal from the FIFA World Cup, alleging referee and FIFA bias in favour of the defending champions and Lionel Messi. The petition gaine…

Published: 2026-07-15 · Desk: Latest · Source: South China Morning Post

More than six million people have signed an online petition calling for Argentina to be removed from the FIFA World Cup, claiming that referees and FIFA have shown favouritism toward the defending champions and Lionel Messi. The petition gained traction after Argentina's controversial quarter-final win over Egypt. Egypt coach Hossam Hassan accused FIFA of manipulating the tournament, while Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni rejected the allegations, saying such favouritism is "almost impossible" in the VAR era.

Original reporting: https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3360559/fifa-world-cup-6-million-sign-petition-kick-out-argentina-citing-referee-favouritism?fbclid=IwY2xjawTEPOlleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFiZGFscDBlM0ZqeHRvSVVVc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHoIYgGDH2ZZZmaNZn-tiW8z8R_AWl3roblzhxd1NsZxAP6FsLSpu6Ipcfu3x_aem_MMvkR1QXeH86x7IXIKCBbA
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