Algeria have formally lodged a complaint with FIFA over several refereeing decisions in their opening World Cup match against Argentina, including a challenge by Lionel Messi that the North African side believes warranted a red card.
According to a source within the Algerian Football Federation, the complaint focuses on a number of incidents from Tuesday`s Group J encounter, which ended in a convincing victory for the reigning world champions.
One of the main points of contention was a first-half tackle by Argentina captain Lionel Messi on defender Aissa Mandi.
Algerian officials reportedly believe the challenge deserved a dismissal, but no disciplinary action was taken against the eight-time Ballon d`Or winner.
The federation is also understood to have questioned the handling of two separate elbowing incidents during the match, arguing that stronger sanctions should have been considered.
Algerian officials expressed frustration over what they described as a lack of intervention from the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system during key moments of the game.
Despite their criticism of the officiating, the federation acknowledged Argentina`s quality but insisted that concerns over refereeing decisions could not be ignored.
Messi went on to play a decisive role in the match, scoring a hat-trick as Argentina began their World Cup campaign with an impressive win.
The performance also saw the veteran forward equal the World Cup scoring record of 16 goals previously held by former Germany striker Miroslav Klose.
Algeria now turn their attention to a crucial group-stage clash against Jordan, knowing a positive result will be vital to keeping their hopes of reaching the knockout rounds alive.
The Desert Foxes are seeking only their second appearance in the World Cup knockout phase, having previously reached the last 16 during the 2014 tournament in Brazil.
