Louis van Gaal says Qatar World Cup rigged for Lionel Messi to win

Former coach of the Netherlands, Louis Van Gaal has made some damaging allegations about the 2022 FIFA World Cup that was staged in Qatar.

Lionel Messi led Argentina to their first-ever World Cup trophy since 1986, beating defending champions France in an energy-sapping final at the Lusail Stadium on December 18.

The 36-year-old forward defeated the Netherlands, then managed by Van Gaal, in the quarter-final, scoring in normal time before guiding his country to a 4-3 win on penalties.

Van Gaal, who resigned as head coach following the Netherlands’ World Cup exit, believes that the tournament was rigged so that Messi could finally win the trophy that had always eluded him.

When asked to reflect on the World Cup in Qatar, he told Dutch outlet NOS: ‘I don’t really want to say much about it. When you see how Argentina gets the goals and how we get the goals, and how some Argentina players overstepped the mark and were not punished, then I think it all premeditated game.’

After journalists asked the 72-year-old to clarify what he meant, the former boss said: ‘I mean everything I say. That Messi should become world champion? I think so, yes.’