Louis van Gaal claims 2022 World Cup was rigged in favour of Lionel Messi | OneFootball

Former Netherlands boss Louis van Gaal has continued his war of words with Lionel Messi by insisting that the 2022 World Cup was “premeditated”.

Messi and Van Gaal almost came to blows during Argentina’s quarter-final win over the Dutch back in December.

Van Gaal had claimed before the game that it “wasn’t difficult” to stop Messi and insisted that the Ballon d’Or winner wouldn’t cause his team too many problems.

Messi then cupped his hands to his ears after scoring a penalty in normal time to see Argentina go 2-0 up in their last eight clash.

The South American side would eventually go on to win the match on penalties before triumphing in the final to secure a third world title.

But Van Gaal has now fanned the flames again by saying that the World Cup was rigged in favour of La Albiceleste.

“I don’t really want to say much about it,” he told NOS.

“When you see how Argentina get 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 the game.

“I mean everything I say by that. That Messi had to become world champion? I think so, yes.”