Millions of soccer fans around the world were delighted to see Argentina lose in the World Cup final over the weekend. In recent weeks, a controversial campaign has seen them emerge as one of the most hated international teams on the planet. A number of unpleasant incidents have tarnished their reputation and most neutral countries were rooting for Spain to win Sunday’s featured match.
Argentina initially sparked outrage when they suffered the consequences of two controversial refereeing decisions in their knockout win over Egypt. The opponents were equally furious that a goal that would have doubled their lead was canceled out by VAR, and that a penalty was not awarded just before Argentina would have been decisive winners.
The match sparked a conspiracy theory that the World Cup was in Argentina’s favor, which was further amplified by Egypt’s head coach Hossam Hassan after the final whistle.
Later in the tournament, several Argentina players were seen celebrating the victory over England by holding up a banner with the message “Argentina, son of Las Malvinas” (translated to mean “The Falkland Islands are Argentina”).
Argentina were also widely criticized for their repeated fouls, on-field theatrics and for constantly surrounding the referee every time a major call went against them.
These complaints were reinforced when they faced Spain in the final, but their actions immediately after the final whistle were shameful.
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He later failed to apologize in a lengthy statement on Instagram, making no mention of the unpleasant scene that occurred.
FIFA has since confirmed that it is investigating what happened, which could result in fines and player suspensions.
However, some fans may argue that disqualifying Argentina from the World Cup would be a more appropriate punishment. Such a move would see England promoted to second place in the final standings.
This is unprecedented and will almost certainly spark the biggest controversy in tournament history. But Argentina will only take responsibility for its horrendous act by giving FIFA a decision.
