Ugly scenes ruined the ending of the World Cup (Image: Getty)
Pundits on the BBC and ITV universally criticized Argentina’s actions after losing to Spain in the World Cup final, calling them “disgusting”.
The defending champions, led by Lionel Messi, lost 1-0 in extra time against New Jersey, with Ferran Torres scoring in the 106th minute. Argentina national team midfielder Enzo Fernandes was sent off with a second yellow card just before the extra period in a game where “spoiler tactics” were the norm.
In full time, there were many unpleasant scenes involving Leandro Paredes and Nahuel Molina. Argentina national team defender Molina punched Spain national team midfielder Rodri as he ran onto the pitch to celebrate his team’s success.
Paredes also appeared to grab Eric Garcia by the throat and throw Gabi to the ground. After the match, BBC pundits condemned the ugly incident.
Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart said: “There was one first class man on the pitch and that was Lionel Messi, who shook hands with all the Spanish players.”
“The game is over. They can’t complain at all about what happened today. It’s a terrible thing.”
Hart added: “Spain are well worth it. They were really good throughout the tournament.”
“They dominated every game against a tough and tough Argentina side. The best team won this World Cup.”
Argentina had previously been criticized for their aggressive behavior during their 2-1 semi-final victory over England, when their players displayed a banner claiming sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. FIFA then investigated the banner.
Fellow pundit and former England star Wayne Rooney said of Argentina’s actions:
“We’ve seen this before against Argentina. That’s not the reaction you want. We saw some of the reaction after we eliminated England in the last round.
“That’s really sad. If you lose a soccer game, walk away gracefully. I feel really bad for them.”
“It’s a reaction to them losing, fighting and being thought out on the football pitch and in the end they fall back on that,” Rooney continued.
“Terrible from those two players.”
Micah Richards added: “It’s really embarrassing. They were right on top every time in the game.
“Paredes doesn’t have to do that, he’s better than that, he doesn’t stop there, he keeps going.
“We all know what it feels like to lose a game and it can be very frustrating, but this is not good enough. It’s not good at all.”
The parade kicks off with Eric Garcia (Spain) (Image: Getty)
Micah Richards added: “It’s really embarrassing. They were right on top every time in the game.
“Paredes doesn’t have to do that, he’s better than that, he doesn’t stop there, he keeps going.
“We all know what it feels like to lose a match and it can be very frustrating, but this is not good enough. It’s not in a good way at all.”
The parade was dismissed after the game ended. (Image: Getty)
ITV critics and commentators shared similar views. Gary Neville singled out Paredes for his actions on ITV.
The former England full-back said: “They’re very competitive and I love that element of them, but[Paredes]has just had a disgraceful performance in the last few games. Why did the referees allow him to keep his job…”
ITV’s co-commentators agreed that Spain deserved to win, with Lee Dixon accusing Argentina of being “anti-football” and questioning how Paredes stayed on the pitch, and Ally McCoist saying Spain were “the only team trying to win this game”.
Dixon said: “I have to say Spain did well, especially after that scene. Football was the winner, there’s no doubt about that. They deserved to win on this day.”
“Throughout the tournament they got better and better and conceding one goal in the World Cup tournament tells you everything you need to know about how organized and creative they are.
“They have speed on the wings and are fun to watch. Whereas today Argentina was just anti-football. How Paredes was still on the pitch in the last scene, I’ll never understand. I said six or seven times that he should have been sent off.”
“(Messi’s) legacy is coming to an end. Today was not his best and it was not allowed to be that way.”
