Lionel Messi appealed for Spain defender Marc Cucurella to be sent off during the World Cup final after accusing him of breaching a tournament rule by covering his mouth while speaking.
The incident occurred moments after Argentina’s Enzo Fernández had been shown a red card, with tensions high before extra time. As players confronted each other following a challenge that resulted in a late Spain free-kick, Cucurella appeared to speak to Messi while partially covering his mouth, prompting Messi to alert the referee.
Under the tournament’s reported regulations, players can be sent off for deliberately covering their mouths while communicating. However, the referee declined to issue another red card.
BBC pundits criticized Messi’s reaction. Micah Richards said, “There’s not much in that. He’s not got his full hand over, it was half wasn’t it? You don’t want to see people getting sent off in a World Cup final for that.” Joe Hart said he was disappointed by Messi’s actions, while Gabby Logan described it as “desperation from Messi.” Wayne Rooney added that he would have preferred to see greater sportsmanship from the Argentina captain.
