World Cup final referee responds to claims Lionel Messi’s goal should not have stood

World Cup final referee Szymon Marciniak has broken his silence on claims that Argentina’s third goal against France should have been disallowed.

The 41-year-old Polish referee has faced claims in the French media that he should have scored the goal because “two emotional substitutions” came onto the pitch before Lionel Messi’s goal crossed the line.

More than 200,000 French fans have signed a petition for the final to be replayed due to his perceived ‘mistakes’, but Marciniak has responded defiantly to criticism leveled in his direction.

The French press and fans argued that Lionel Messi’s second goal in the World Cup final should not have stood as two Argentina substitutes appeared to enter the pitch before the shot went in.

But Szymon Marciniak claims there were seven French substitutes on the pitch for one of Kylian Mbappe’s goals and he showed a picture during a press conference.

French players celebrate on the pitch after Kylian Mbappé scored his second goal of the game.

During a press conference, as reported Zach Lowy, He pulled out his phone with a photo that he says was at the moment Kylian Mbappé scored one of his three goals against Argentina.

He said: ‘The French did not mention this photo, where you can see how there are seven Frenchmen on the pitch when Mbappé scores a goal.’

Having taken a two-goal lead before halftime with goals from Messi and Ángel Di María, Argentina fell behind when Mbappe scored twice in two minutes to take the game into extra time.

The controversial moment then came in the 108th minute when Lautaro Martínez went on target. His effort was well saved by Hugo Lloris, but Messi was available to take advantage of the rebound from close range.

L’Equipe believes that the goal should have been disallowed due to the substitutions entering the field of play

Messi had to wait, but the goal was finally allowed after being reviewed by VAR.

French outlet L’Equipe believed that Marciniak and his team of officials should have scored the goal.

Beneath the headline, ‘Why Argentina’s third goal should not have been conceded’, they claim that ‘two emotionally charged substitutes’ entered the pitch before Messi’s shot crossed the line, which is ‘strictly forbidden’.

VAR ruled the goal for offside, but replays showed Martinez had barely managed to stay in the game, prompting wild celebrations among Argentina players and fans.

Mbappé scored a hat-trick, but there will be arguments that one of his goals should not have stood

Whether VAR also looked at the substitutes who came onto the pitch is unknown, but L’Equipe believes France should have been given a free kick under the law.

They point out that Law 3, Paragraph 9 of the Football Laws states: ‘If, after a goal has been scored, the referee becomes aware, before play is restarted, that another person was on the field of play at the moment the goal was scored: the referee must disallow the goal if the extra person was: a player, substitute, substituted player, sent off player or official of the team that scored the goal; the game must be restarted with a direct free kick from the place where the extra person was located.’

The referee’s claims that French substitutes were on the field when Mbappé suggests that one of his goals should have been disallowed as well.

Mbappé scored a third goal after extra time before Argentina won their third World Cup via penalties.