Millions of football fans around the world were delighted to see Argentina lose the World Cup final over the weekend. Over the last few weeks, their controversy-laden campaign has seen them emerge as one of the most hated international teams on the planet. A number of unsavoury incidents tanked their reputation to the point that most neutrals were rooting for Spain to beat them in Sunday's showpiece match.
Controversial decisions and conspiracy theories
Argentina initially sparked fury when they reaped the rewards of two controversial refereeing decisions in their knockout victory over Egypt. Their opponents had a goal disallowed by VAR that would have seen them double their lead, while they were equally furious at the failure to award a penalty just moments before Argentina's decisive winner.
That fixture led to conspiracy theories about the World Cup being tipped in Argentina's favour, which were amplified by Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan after the final whistle.
Falklands banner and on-pitch conduct
Later in the tournament, several Argentina players were seen celebrating their win over England with a banner carrying the message: "Las Malvinas son Argentinas", which translates as: "The Falklands are Argentine".
Argentina were also widely criticised for their repeated fouls, on-pitch theatrics and constantly surrounding the referee whenever a big decision went against them.
Post-final attack and FIFA investigation
Those complaints intensified when they faced Spain in the final, while their conduct immediately after the final whistle was nothing short of disgraceful. A furious Leandro Paredes, simply unable to accept that Argentina had failed to defend the trophy, physically attacked several Spanish players as they sprinted onto the pitch to celebrate. He later failed to apologise in a lengthy Instagram statement which made absolutely no mention of the unsavoury scenes that took place.
FIFA have since confirmed they are investigating what happened, which could lead to fines or player suspensions being handed down.
Possible disqualification
However, some fans may argue that disqualifying Argentina from the World Cup would be a more fitting punishment. Such a move would see England promoted to second place in the final standings. It would be unprecedented and would almost certainly spark the biggest controversy in the history of the tournament. Argentina, though, would only have themselves to blame by giving FIFA a decision to make with their appalling conduct.
