Polish referee Szymon Marciniak, who is one of Europe's top officials, did not sanction the reigning World Cup champion with a card but did award a free kick to Algeria. Messi avoided a card for the foul, which came between his first and second goals before the eight time Ballon d'Or winner completed a spectacular hat trick to kickstart Argentina's World Cup campaign.
There are two other incidents involving challenges with the elbow on Hadj Moussa and Ibrahim Maza that Algeria is unhappy about and has raised with FIFA.
Algeria head coach Vladimir Petkovic addressed the incident in his news conference after the game.
It's pointless commenting on hypothetical situations, but everyone saw it, including me,
FIFA has been approached for comment.
Refereeing expert view on the Messi challenge
Refereeing expert and former Premier League official Graham Scott assessed whether Messi received special treatment over the Mandi tackle.
Scott said few referees would have dismissed Messi for the challenge, not because it was Messi but because there was no intent or intensity in his actions. He noted that Marciniak was in charge of the 2022 World Cup final and is not a novice official.
Scott pointed to the reactions of the Algerian players, none of whom saw any malice. He wrote that footballers spring to the defence of a team mate who is harmed deliberately and are drilled to cause a fuss to ensure the video assistant referee takes a long, hard look at the replays.
The collective shrug of Algerian shoulders would have been one of the considerations in the video review room, Scott said, given that VARs the world over are lambasted for delaying the game when no one on the pitch seems interested in overturning the on field decision.
Scott added that if fans want a more clinical process with more consistent outcomes, they will have to tolerate longer delays and leave officials in peace to make their judgements. He said he does not see that happening any time soon.
On replay, Scott said the decision is more challenging, because there is no doubt that Messi's studs are planted into Mandi's calf. It looked painful, and Mandi's reaction appeared genuine.
Some VARs may have recommended an on field review due to the potentially serious consequences of the tackle, which seemed to put Mandi at risk of injury. To that extent, Messi was fortunate, Scott said, as the referee may have reached for his red card if shown slow motion replays of the contact on the pitch side monitor.
For a player to receive a straight red card for serious foul play, Scott noted, there must be evidence that they endangered their opponent's safety or used excessive force.
