“I can bet that Argentina will be champion,” Portugal defender makes controversial claim of 2022 FIFA World Cup being rigged for Lionel Messi to win

Portugal defender Pepe has furiously criticized FIFA for choosing an Argentine referee following their shocking World Cup quarterfinal loss to Morocco. The biggest underdogs in the tournament defeated Pepe’s team 1-0 on Saturday, securing a historic semifinal clash with either England or France and leaving Cristiano Ronaldo heartbroken.

But unlike the former Manchester United hero, Pepe came to the media after the game to express his displeasure with FIFA and Argentine official Facundo Tello instead of sobbing down the tunnel to dwell in the changing room.

“It’s unacceptable for an Argentine referee to referee our game,” the ex-Real Madrid centre-back fumed. “After what happened yesterday, with [Lionel] Messi talking, all of Argentina talking and the referee comes here to blow the whistle. I’m not saying that he comes here conditioned… But what did we play the second half?“

“We had the quality to win the World Cup and we didn’t manage to. I can bet that Argentina will be champion. We always try to play our game, we were true to who we are, we worked hard. I’m proud of that. We fought until the last minute, but we didn’t manage to win. Very sad, feeling of sadness.” he added.

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Pepe admitted not to having seen Portugal’s controversial penalty denial against Morocco at 2022 FIFA World Cup

Pepe’s accusations of bias against Argentina come after they narrowly advanced to the semifinals on Friday, defeating the Netherlands on penalties. Despite Messi and Leandro Paredes being fortunate to escape getting sent off, many Argentina players criticised Spanish referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz for his string of strange decisions during the match.

Pepe admitted that he missed a disputed incident involving teammate Bruno Fernandes going down inside Morocco’s box toward the end of the first half after Portugal’s shocking loss. A large portion of his team appealed for a penalty, but the 39-year-old confessed: “I didn’t see the thing that could have been penalty for Bruno.”

“We had the ability to win this World Cup. Then we had the feeling of the arrogance of the arbitration team. Argentina will be champion! There were five Argentine referees! What more can I say? Let’s see what happens,” he added.

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