It’s an almost historic plebiscite! Crowned world champion in 2022 and still a finalist in 2026, then logically supplanted by Spain (1-0 after extra time), Argentina certainly annoys as much as it fascinates. Embodied by Lionel Messi eight times Ballon d’Or and among the greatest footballers in history, the Albiceleste is perhaps the most divisive selection on the planet today.
In any case, there is no shortage of “haters”. Witness this petition entitled “Argentina out” inviting FIFA to exclude the said nation from the World Cup for life. This is due to the detestable behavior of the Argentinians during the 2026 World Cup – outgoing champions who are also considered favored by football authorities and the refereeing body.
The petition in question, opened in the middle of the tournament and addressed to football elites accused of being “ in favor of Lionel Messi and Argentina ”, was motivated by the following postulate: “ Why should the rest of the world compete when the winner is already known? Kick Argentina out of the World Cup and give everyone else a fair chance. »
Not far from the world record for signatures
Now closed, the initiative has collected more than 23 million unique signatures according to Euronews (23,316,108 to be precise), all from 170 different countries. No impact of course on FIFA’s judgments but we came close to a world record. If we are to believe the famous Guinness book, the reference in the matter remains to the credit of a petition launched in April 1997 to erase the debt of the poorest countries on the globe before the year 2000 – an appeal then called “Jubilee 2000” and followed by more than 24 million signatories (24,319,181).
In the end, the instigators of the “Argentina out” petition, although naturally snubbed by the parent company of world football, did not lose everything. “ FIFA ignored us, but Spain kept their promises. Thanks to Spain », It is concluded on the website created for the occasion.
