Former Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal claimed that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was fixed to help Lionel Messi finally win the trophy.
Messi scored twice in the final to help Argentina beat France 4-2 on penalties at the Lusail Stadium. Prior to that, the 36-year-old had a standout performance against the Netherlands, then led by Van Gaal, in the quarter-finals. Messi scored a beautiful goal in regular time, before guiding his team to a 4-3 victory in the penalty shootout.
Van Gaal, who left his position shortly after, believes that the tournament was fixed so that Messi could finally win the trophy that had always eluded him. “When you see how Argentina scored goals and how we scored goals, and how some Argentine players crossed the line and were not punished, then I think it was all a premeditated match,” he told Dutch media NOS.
When pressed further, Louis van Gaal clarified his thoughts. “I believe everything I say. Did Messi have to become world champion? I think so, yes,” he emphasized. The Dutch coach is not the first to make such insinuations. “I have to say it because it’s stronger than me. It’s unacceptable that an Argentine referee officiates our match here today, after what happened yesterday and what Messi said,” Pepe had notably raged after Portugal’s elimination against Morocco.
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