The theft was petty; the negligence and, to a great extent, complicity were grand. Recommendation-based appointments, relaxing of frisking rules, little to no implementation of the pocket-less uniforms rule, and deliberate neglect of the irregularities enabled the theft for months before the lid blew off in June this year.

The outrage over Argentina's victory says less about refereeing and more about how football has become a battleground for political and ideological conflicts far beyond the game itself.