Argentina celebrated with controversial Falkland Islands flag after defeating England (Image: Getty Images)
Argentina went from defending champions to underdogs to disgrace in just a few weeks at the World Cup. Chaos ensued as Leandro Paredes and Nahuel Molina got into a heated altercation with their opponents on the pitch as the final whistle sounded to signal Spain a new title.
Embarrassing scenes broke out at Full Time in reaction to Ferran Torres’ victory, but FIFA has now decided to investigate and is expected to announce a verdict soon. “Following an evaluation of the match report related to the FIFA World Cup Final between Spain and Argentina, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has appointed a Disciplinary and Ethics Prosecutor to investigate possible violations of the FIFA Disciplinary Code regarding the post-match incident,” the statement said.
The Disciplinary and Ethics Prosecutor will help determine whether Argentina violated Article 13 of the Disciplinary Law, which relates to aggressive behavior and the principles of fair play, in conjunction with the allegations of violent behavior.
Long-term suspensions have been handed down for serious violations in the past, and any Argentine players or staff found to have breached regulations could face disciplinary action.
Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales has been suspended for three years for kissing Jenni Hermoso after the Women’s World Cup final. Luis Suarez is also famous for biting Giorgio Chiellini during the 2014 World Cup and was banned for four months.
Argentina had already come under intense scrutiny ahead of the World Cup final, with numerous controversies continuing throughout the tournament. Here, Express Sport takes a look at them all…
world cup final scene
Midfielder Paredes, who was reported to have been given a red card after the match and was removed from FIFA’s official records, pushed Spain defender Eric Garcia in the throat before attempting to kick him. He also got into an argument with Gabi, grabbing her before pushing her to the lawn.
The post-match chaos apparently began after Argentine defender Nahuel Molina appeared to punch Spain captain Rodri in the stomach. The Manchester City midfielder rushed onto the pitch to celebrate with his colleagues, but stopped to challenge Molina following the incident.
Further controversy then came to light when footage emerged of Argentina’s icon and current assistant manager Roberto Ayala throwing a punch at Spain’s Dani Olmo after the match. These three incidents cast a shadow over the World Cup final, and Argentina was also involved in several other controversial moments during the tournament.
Messi and Mac Allister avoid punishment
Lionel Messi started the World Cup with a hat-trick against Algeria, but it was perhaps fortunate that the Argentine legend remained on the field immediately after scoring his first goal. The experienced striker appeared to press his stud into the right foot of opposing defender Aissa Mundy.
Messi avoided a yellow card for a tackle by Polish referee Szymon Marciniak, but VAR refused to intervene as it was deemed not to merit a red card.
Algeria later filed a complaint regarding alleged substandard refereeing. Their complaints also drew attention to an incident involving Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, who similarly avoided punishment after catching Ibrahim Maza with an elbow in the face in the 74th minute.
Mac Allister case vs Austria
Mac Allister was once again the focus of discussion in Argentina’s second group match against Austria. Messi broke the deadlock and won 2-0, surpassing Miroslav Klose’s World Cup goals.
Despite this, his record-breaking goal probably shouldn’t have counted. Replays showed Argentina appeared to have won the ball back after Mac Allister fouled Austria’s Xaver Schlager during an attack, but VAR did not intervene.
Argentina’s Leandro Paredes was involved in a post-match collision. (Image: Getty Images)
egyptian controversy
Argentina needed an extraordinary fightback to beat Egypt 3-2 in the round of 16. But Egypt believed that two refereeing decisions had hurt their prospects of reaching the quarter-finals.
The Pharaohs had a controversial goal canceled due to VAR involvement. After reviewing the incident, referee Francois Letexier ruled that Marwan Ateya committed a foul on Lisandro Martinez at the other end of the field at the start of Egypt’s attack.
But in the second half, just before Argentina’s decisive goal, Egypt was denied a spot-kick due to an obvious foul on Mohamed Salah. Egypt has lodged formal complaints with FIFA regarding both decisions, and coach Hossam Hassan also did not hesitate to voice his opinion.
He said: “Why is there no fairness in sports? In football? I don’t think I can put it in beautiful words. Today we have been treated unfairly. We have suffered injustice.”
wrong identity
Argentina benefited from one of the new rules introduced at the World Cup when they defeated Switzerland in the quarter-finals. Portugal’s Joao Piñere initially showed Paredes a yellow card.
However, the decision was overturned under new “mismatch of status” rules after replays showed Briel Embolo had dived and the Swiss attacker was given a warning instead. Cruelly for Embolo, he was already booked and was sacked in an unusual manner during an important match.
In this particular instance, questions were raised regarding the application of the mistaken identity rule, which transformed the incident from a foul by Paredes to a simulation by Embolo. UEFA has since instructed officials not to classify potential simulations as cases of mistaken identity.
UEFA maintains that error is reserved for fact-based judgments and should apply to the same offense and should not require an on-field review, while simulation is a subjective judgment and requires referees to re-evaluate the incident.
british incident
England lost to Argentina in the semi-finals with two late goals. Beyond the scrutiny surrounding Thomas Tuchel’s tactical approach, the match was overshadowed by two important post-match episodes.
At Argentina’s pitch celebrations, many players held up banners reading “Argentina, son of Las Malvinas” (Falkland Islands is Argentina).
The reference is to the British Overseas Territories and the 1982 Falklands War, with FIFA investigating the matter and Argentine officials said to be expecting a $20,000 fine.
Jude Bellingham was also seen facing Argentina’s Valentin Barco after the final whistle. Bellingham appears to have attacked Vulco, but the exact cause of the conflict remains unknown.
Barco had infuriated England’s players with his antics early in the match after Argentina’s winning goal. After the final whistle, Bellingham shook hands with the Argentine player, but noticed that Barco had joined a group of teammates, at which point the two exchanged words.
