Spain head coach Luis De la Fuente has blasted the ‘unacceptable’ behaviour of several Argentina players and their coaching staff after losing the World Cup final.
Some Argentina players and staff, including the likes of Leandro Paredes and Nahuel Molina, confronted their Spanish rivals after the final whistle of last Sunday’s game which Spain won 1–0 after extra time, thanks to a goal from Ferran Torres.
“At the time, I didn’t realise it. I was celebrating, hugging teammates,” De La Fuente told Spanish television.
Argentina’s Leandro Paredes (centre) clashes with Spain’s Eric Garcia after the FIFA World Cup final in New Jersey recently. Pic/AFP
“But in any case, it is intolerable, unacceptable, it cannot be allowed. Players of that stature, whom I praised in the days leading up to the match and continue to praise, who are great players with a tremendous coach, surely they must have felt just as bad as we did seeing those reactions,” he added.
However De la Fuente praised the exemplary behaviour of his own players faced with these ‘acts of aggression’ and ‘provocations’ which he believes could have escalated into more serious incidents.
Although the scenes were filmed and widely shared on social media, they have not yet resulted in any sanctions against the Argentina players.
FIFA has opened an investigation into the incidents to determine whether there may have been violations of the football governing body’s disciplinary code.
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