The Argentine newspaper Olé responded with biting sarcasm to the repeated accusations that the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has favored the Argentine national team in the 2026 World Cup, detailing 18 alleged instances of 'assistance' since the start of the tournament.

The main daily sports newspaper in Argentina published a lengthy sarcastic report in response to the wave of criticism that has escalated after each match for the 2022 world champions, especially after the Egyptian team's accusations of 'strange things' and 'support at all levels' following their loss in the round of 16.

The controversy intensified last Saturday evening after the quarterfinal match against Switzerland, where the sending off of striker Breel Embolo caused widespread resentment, and his teammate Dan Ndoye said: 'Tonight, there were two types of refereeing: one for them, the other for us. It's hard to accept that.'

In an attempt to respond to these accusations, Olé sarcastically listed 18 'assists' provided by FIFA to Argentina, including: 'They promised the Algerian goalkeeper a special bonus. They needed Messi to finally score a hat-trick in the World Cup, which is why he couldn't shoot into the top corner, and why he didn't react to the precise shot; it was all orchestrated.'

The newspaper also mocked the Embolo sending-off incident, saying: 'Surely Gianni Infantino himself requested, from the VIP box via radio, that the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) not immediately send off Embolo after his violent tackle on Paredes.'

Olé did not limit itself to defending its own team; it also criticized the major teams that were eliminated early from the tournament, noting that 'FIFA convinced Brazil's leaders to abandon their traditional style by choosing Carlo Ancelotti, and the result: a crushing defeat to Haaland before quickly returning to the beaches of Rio.'

It added sarcastically: 'The Netherlands were the favorites according to algorithms, so they held a secret meeting to plan their elimination, sending them to a penalty shootout against Morocco and a specialist like Bono—a brilliant move.'

Regarding the Egypt match, the newspaper commented: 'When the VAR rule was changed a few years ago to allow full review of plays to check for fouls before a goal, they already had in mind the Egyptian foul on Lisandro Martínez; everything was perfectly foreseen.'

Olé concluded its sarcastic report by saying: 'Therefore, there is no doubt that FIFA favors Argentina,' a clear message to all who accuse the world champions of benefiting from refereeing or organizational favoritism.

It seems that the controversy over Argentina's performance and refereeing decisions will not stop until the end of the tournament, especially with 'La Albiceleste' approaching the final match, making every refereeing decision subject to scrutiny and criticism from opponents and international media.