"Ex-Premier League Ref: Astonishing VAR Missed Red Card for Lionel Messi's Dangerous Play on Algeria Star"

LIONEL MESSI should have been SENT OFF against Algeria, says former Premier League referee Mark Halsey.

made a big mistake with just one goal into an .

Lionel Messi was lucky not to get sent off against Algeria Credit: Getty Former Premier League ref Mark Halsey says VAR made a mistake Credit: Sun Exclusive

Icon Messi, 38, playing at his SIXTH World Cup, .

But ref Szymon Marciniak did not even book Messi for an attempt to win the ball from behind Mandi which saw his boot go into the calf of his opponent.

For , a huge error was made. He exclusively told SunSport:”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.

“ vs when and VAR recommended an on-field review to the Brazilian official.

“For me, 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.”

2022 champ Messi went on to bag a second and third of the game having already opened the scoring.

He had a goal ruled out for offside early but still ended the game with the match ball and six shots as Argentina breezed past their African opposition.

But Halsey thinks he was fortunate to stay on the field. He explained how the decision got reached.

He said: “The VAR must have decided it was reckless and a yellow card offence.

“If the deem that as reckless and a yellow card offence then VAR cannot get involved because of Ifab protocol.

“For me, I thought Messi was very, very lucky.”

With fans debating over , Halsey hoped that didn’t make an impact.

He added: “It should not matter who the player is. He’s not that sort of player, that doesn’t come into it.

“Did that challenge endanger the players’ safety? With or little excessive force?

“Now, for me I think it that did endangered 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.

“So for me that did endanger the players’ 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.

“We all want to know because Zwane of South Africa was sent off for violent conduct, which was never violent conduct and obviously VAR recommended a review that was nowhere near as bad as Messi’s stamp on the Algerian defender.”

And does this decision now set a dangerous precedent for the tournament, away from what supporters are used to?

Halsey said: “The law is not just there for the Premier League, it’s not just in the German league, it’s not in the Italian league, the Spanish league, the World Cup, the UEFA . It’s there for the whole world.

“The laws are the same whether you’re in all those countries or you’re refereeing in tournament .

“The laws are there. And I was, as I said, I was very surprised that. The VAR did not recommend a review.”