World Cup 2026: Ronaldo fans behind ‘FIFA favouring Messi’ conspiracy theories — Mikel Obi
By Ayobami Okerinde
Former Super Eagles captain John Mikel Obi has dismissed claims that FIFA is favouring Lionel Messi and Argentina at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, insisting such conspiracy theories are being driven by supporters of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Mikel made the remarks in a video from The Rest Is Football podcast that has been making the rounds on social media, where he responded to comments by former England midfielder Joe Cole ahead of Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final between England and defending champions Argentina.
During the discussion, Cole claimed the “whole world wants Messi in the final” while suggesting the Albiceleste could employ dark arts to win the game.
“FIFA wants Messi to get to the final. I think it’s subconscious, but I think if you would lean on that to get the best out of my group, I’ll go, ‘listen, the whole world wants Lionel Messi in the final. They want him to play’,” he said.
“They’re going to have to deal with the shithousery from the Argentinians. Like in ’98 with Simeone, when Beckham touched his calf, he was supposed to be like a real tough man. He’s gone rolling around and got him sent off. So you’ve got to deal with all of that.
“If I’m the manager, I would buy into that, and I think they’ll target Jude Bellingham. I think you’ll see De Paul niggling at him. He plays on the edge.
Cole, however, clarified that he was not accusing FIFA of manipulating matches.
“I’m not saying there’s anything, any skullduggery at all, from FIFA; the vibes of the world want Argentina to get there because they want Messi to get there,” he added
Responding, Mikel rejected the suggestion, saying the conspiracy theories were being promoted by Ronaldo supporters.
“I’m not buying into that bullshit. This is all the Ronaldo fans coming up with all this crap,” Mikel said.
He argued that Argentina had simply earned a favourable path by winning their group.
“If they won their games, which they should have done, they would not play tougher teams. Argentina did their job, they won their games, and they got into the easier group.
“So this is all Ronaldo fans. I don’t like that. FIFA are not favouring Messi.”
“Messi is doing his job. He’s playing, he’s scoring goals, and he’s breaking records.
“If they play well tomorrow and beat England, I think they have the chance to go back-to-back,” he said.
The winner of the encounter will face Spain in Sunday’s final after the European side defeated France 2-0 in Tuesday’s first semi-final.
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