Argentina lost to Spain 1-0 in the final in New Jersey, missing out on a consecutive World Cup title, but furious supporters are not taking the loss well.
Spain lifted the World Cup on Sunday (Image: Getty Images)
Thousands of angry Argentina fans are demanding a rematch of the World Cup final, citing “corrupt” referees.
Argentina lost to Spain 1-0 in overtime in the final in New Jersey on Sunday. A goal from Ferran Torres settled the score for Spain’s superior team, and Spain attacked Argentina’s goal throughout the match.
Defending champions Argentina failed to get a single shot on target in 120 minutes and were reduced to 10 men after Enzo Fernandes’ red card in the 93rd minute. Goalkeeper Emi Martinez was busy but was ultimately brought down by Torres’ shot in the 106th minute.
Argentina did not take the loss well and ugly scenes continued after the final whistle. Leandro Paredes was seen kicking and punching Eric Garcia as he pushed him to the ground and grappled with Gabi, while Nahuel Molina appeared to instigate the altercation by throwing a punch at Rodri.
Some of the team’s fans are equally bitter, judging by the more than 82,000 signatures on a petition calling for a replay of the finals. Gisela Sanchez, the author of the Change.org petition, argues that FIFA should ignore the result because of the performance of Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic.
“The recent final between Argentina and Spain was tainted by the controversial corruption of a referee who, according to video evidence, was bribed to influence the outcome of the match,” Sanchez wrote.
“This is a huge disappointment for the players, coaches and, most importantly, the fans who were eager to see a game defined by the talent and dedication on the pitch, rather than the referee’s bad decisions.
“If we allow corruption to continue on this global stage, we are setting a bad example for future generations of athletes and fans.
Slavko Vincic was busy at the World Cup final (Image: Buda Mendes, Getty Images)
“We therefore call on FIFA to seriously and transparently consider these incidents and consider replaying the final, this time without the influence of corrupt referees.”
Change.org has been flooded with petitions of a very different nature asking FIFA to ban Argentina from participating in future tournaments. A petition calling for the team to be expelled from all future World Cups had gathered more than 29 million signatures by the end of the tournament.
Vincic was whistled for 46 fouls, 25 of which were committed by Argentina players. Fernandes received two yellow cards in the second half and was sent off. One was for dissent for not being awarded a free kick, and the other was for a reckless challenge on Pau Kvarsi.
The match was a stop-start affair due to Argentina’s poor tactics, but Spain eventually found a breakthrough in extra time. FIFA is investigating the Argentine player’s actions after the widely condemned match.
Gary Neville said on ITV: “This is a disgrace.” “I love the competitive spirit of Argentines, fighting for their lives and wasting their lives. Messi supported them, but the last few games have been a disgrace.”
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