‘Absolutely digusting’: Argentina sparks outrage for behavior after World Cup loss

Argentina was completely outplayed throughout the World Cup final against Spain on Sunday afternoon, earning more red cards than they did shots on goal, but they somehow managed to look even worse after the match than they did on the field.

Following the 1-0 loss to Spain, Argentina sparked widespread outrage from the soccer community for the way they handled defeat, as players were seen getting violent with Spanish players who were celebrating, and the entire team skipped their media responsibilities, refusing to speak on the disappointing loss.

Violence After the Loss

Shortly after the final whistle on Sunday afternoon, an unfortunate brawl broke out as Argentina’s Leandro Paredes appeared to physically attack Spain’s Gavi, as videos show him confronting Gavi, wrestling him to the ground, and shoving him in the face as other Argentina players joined.

Obviously, this did not sit well with observers.

“This is absolutely disgusting. And people have normalised under the name of “passion”… this is straight thuggery,” soccer commentator and analyst Aaron Cikaya wrote in a post.

“Such a shame – awful model for young athletes,” CNN anchor Jim Schuitto wrote in a post.

“Argentina and Paraguay were both just disgraceful squads,” wrote Thomas Chatterton Williams of The Atlantic.

“Ban him for a season,” wrote commentator FPL Frasier.

But that’s not the only thing Argentina did after the match that drew criticism.

Argentina Skips Media

Win or lose, players are contractually required to speak to the media following the match. While not every player has to speak to the media, FIFA mandates that each team must designate some players to be made available in the media mixed zone. Argentina, however, refused to do that.

Following the match, Michelle Kaufman of the Miami Herald reports that the entire Argentina team refused to speak to the media after the match.

“Entire Argentina team skipped the mandatory mixed zone interview area after the match, not a single player addressed the media. Here they are walking away to bus,” Kaufman wrote.

Needless to say, this move sparked outrage.

“Weak,” Fox soccer analyst Alexi Lalas wrote.

“They really didn’t show themselves in a positive light today both on and off the field,” prominent soccer commentator Taylor Twellman wrote in a post on X.

“Stay classy, Argentina!” Kevin Baxter of the LA Times wrote in a post.

“Sore losers and sore winners. Pathetic,” a fan wrote in a post.

Clearly, Argentina did not handle the loss well.

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