Tottenham Hotspur faced a torrent of criticism from England supporters after posting a congratulatory message to their Argentine players just minutes after England's World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina on Wednesday.
England's heartbreaking loss
The Three Lions took the lead early in the second half, putting them on the verge of a first World Cup final since 1966. However, a late collapse saw Argentina score two goals in seven minutes, turning the game around and eliminating England. The defeat left fans devastated, questioning what might have been.
Tottenham's controversial post
Shortly after the final whistle, Tottenham's official social media account posted: “A late victory for Argentina sees Cuti and Marcos progress to the World Cup final,” referring to defenders Cristian Romero and Marcos Acuña. The post quickly sparked outrage among England fans, who accused the club of being tone-deaf.
One user, @robbyyy, replied: “Admin, you need to remember you’re English. The club is English. It’s owned and operated by English. Sick of this.” @WestHam_Central wrote: “Of course you'd celebrate it weird club.” @jwayball commented: “Get in the bin,” while @BluePompey67975 added: “Sometimes its better to say nothing.”
Similar backlash for other clubs
Tottenham was not alone in facing criticism. Liverpool had earlier posted a message wishing Alexis Mac Allister good luck in the semi-final, drawing ire from England fans. Chelsea also congratulated Enzo Fernandez but deleted the post after a backlash.
Romero's response to critics
Argentina defender Cristian Romero, who plays for Tottenham, responded to criticism from former Manchester United defender Gary Neville. Neville had called Romero and Lisandro Martinez “the best, worst centre-half pairing in the world.” After securing a spot in back-to-back World Cup finals, Romero told DSports: “The only thing that I hope for is that when I retire, I am not that stupid. Hopefully, I won't criticise a player or anyone. Because at the end of the day, we are doing our best for our national team. Sometimes it goes right for us, sometimes badly, but we are just happy to be in a World Cup final again. I think we are making history, for us it is something really huge, and we feel the significance of this shirt like no one else.”
