Spain’s head coach, Luis de la Fuente, has hit out at the “intolerable, unacceptable” behaviour of Argentina players in the immediate aftermath of Sunday’s World Cup final.
- Nahuel Molina and Leandro Paredes attacked Rodri and Eric García; Paredes also confronted Gavi.
- Luis de la Fuente praised his players' exemplary conduct amid acts of aggression and provocations, warning events could have escalated.
- Scenes were widely filmed and shared; FIFA has opened an investigation, with no sanctions announced so far.
At the forefront were Nahuel Molina and Leandro Paredes, who attacked Rodri and Eric García respectively at New York New Jersey Stadium as Spain’s players celebrated winning the World Cup for a second time in the country’s history. Paredes also confronted Spain’s Gavi.
“At the time, I didn’t realise it. I was celebrating, hugging teammates,” De la Fuente told Spanish television. “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.”
De la Fuente also 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 world football governing body’s disciplinary code.
