World Cup 2026: Ronaldo fans behind ‘FIFA favouring Messi’ conspiracy theories — Mikel Obi

Former Super Eagles captain John Mikel Obi has strongly refuted claims that FIFA is biased towards Lionel Messi and Argentina in the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup. Obi asserted that such conspiracy theories are being propagated by supporters of Cristiano Ronaldo.

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I’m not buying into that bullshit. This is all the Ronaldo fans coming up with all this crap.

Speaking in a video clip from The Rest Is Football podcast, Obi responded to comments made by former England midfielder Joe Cole. Cole had suggested that "the whole world wants Messi in the final" and alluded to potential "dark arts" by the Argentinian team to secure a victory.

Cole elaborated, "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 also mentioned the need to counter "shithousery from the Argentinians," citing Diego Simeone's actions against David Beckham in 1998 as an example.

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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.

However, Cole clarified that he was not accusing FIFA of match manipulation, stating, “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.”

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So this is all Ronaldo fans. I don’t like that. FIFA are not favouring Messi.

Obi vehemently disagreed with these sentiments. "I’m not buying into that bullshit. This is all the Ronaldo fans coming up with all this crap," Obi declared. He argued that Argentina's path to the semifinals was a result of their own performance, having won their group matches. "Argentina did their job, they won their games, and they got into the easier group," he explained. Obi concluded by stating, "FIFA are not favouring Messi. Messi is doing his job. He’s playing, he’s scoring goals, and he’s breaking records." He believes that if Argentina plays well and beats England, they have a chance to win back-to-back World Cups.

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Messi is doing his job. He’s playing, he’s scoring goals, and he’s breaking records.