Van Gaal left his role as the Netherlands manager shortly after the World Cup in Qatar
By Kehinde Okeowo
Dutch manager, Louis van Gaal has alleged that the 2022 World Cup held in Qatar was manipulated to ensure Argentina star, Lionel Messi finally lifts the trophy.
The former coach of Netherlands, made the controversial statement recently while speaking with a Dutch outlet, NOS.
During the tournament in December 2022, Messi shone as Argentina beat the Netherlands, who were then managed by the Dutch tactician, in the quarter-final.
The 36-year-old Argentine scored in normal time before guiding his country to a 4-3 win on penalties.
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Similarly in the finals against France, Messi scored twice to help his country beat the European country 4-2 on penalties at Lusail Stadium and won his first World Cup trophy in the process.
Speaking recently about the tournament, Van Gaal, who left his role as the Dutch manager shortly after the World Cup, believes that the competition was rigged so that Messi could finally win the trophy that had always eluded him.
Van Gaal said: “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 was all a premeditated game.”