Read 3 minutesUpdated: 15 July 2026 12:32 PM IST
Former England captain Alan Shearer has ruled out a player being sent off in Wednesday’s FIFA World Cup semi-final against England, but admitted he was concerned about the level of refereeing in the match and interference from the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
Shearer captained the England side to their round of 16 exit against Argentina at the 1998 World Cup, sending David Beckham back after a spat with Diego Simeone.
“I wouldn’t be at all surprised if we see another red card this time around, but I’m a little worried about where the referee will be and how VAR might affect us,” Shearer wrote in his. BBC column
“It was an incredible night with everything that happened, and, I know it should be over by now, I don’t think the best team won. What happened to us then should be a warning to England now, because these are the kind of games where tempers can flare up and affect the result,” he added of the 1998 World Cup match.
The former striker believes that England have a chance to beat Argentina and reach the final, as the reigning champions have not played well during the tournament.
“I don’t think Argentina have played great football to get here, but they’ve scored some great goals. They’re an experienced and street team, and they’re also the defending champions.”
“They are not as good as they were when they won four years ago, but what they are good at is always finding some way to get a result when they need it. Having Messi up top certainly helps. Everything Argentina do is through him and when they win the ball, they always find where he is,” Shearer wrote.
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He praised Jude Bellingham for his exploits in this World Cup and added that between him and Lionel Messi, whoever goes through on Wednesday will be the tournament’s best contender.
“If I’m going to mention Messi, I have to talk about our superstars too. Harry Kane is brilliant, Jude Bellingham has had the competition of his life. Like Messi, Bellingham has won four Man of the Match awards – or Man of the Match as FIFA likes to call them – so far.
“They’re both in the conversation for player of the tournament and they’re both match-winners. You have to think that whoever gets to the final, one of them will play a big part. I’m backing England to do it – I think we’ll have enough to beat Argentina, because they’ll cause more problems than us – but there’s no way I’m going to be straight,” she said.