Argentine media have defended the national team as 'polite and respectful' despite a post-match brawl that marred the World Cup final against Spain. FIFA has launched an investigation into the incident, which saw Argentina players Leandro Paredes and Nahuel Molina involved in scuffles after the final whistle, with Paredes receiving a red card. Enzo Fernandez was also dismissed during extra time for a challenge on Pau Cubarsi.
Argentine Media's Perspective
Newspapers in South America have taken a different view from their UK counterparts. A report from Argentine paper Clarin stated: 'As never before, the Argentine team displayed, both on and off the field, a range of values that are rare these days. From the pitch and beyond, they gave several lessons and showed the face of a country that we would like to see away from the football pitch.' The report added: 'A team that was polite and respectful, despite a few unfortunate isolated incidents in the last match; that didn't speak ill of its rivals or try to justify its own mistakes by blaming others.'
UK Media and Pundits React
UK media and former players have been highly critical of Argentina's behaviour. Wayne Rooney commented: 'Does it surprise you? It doesn't surprise me. We've seen this with Argentina before. It's just not the reaction you want. We've seen some of the reaction after knocking England out in the last round. That's just sad. If you lose a game of football, be graceful and get out of there. It's really poor from them.' He added: 'That's a reaction to them being outplayed, out-fought, out-thought on the football pitch, and then they resort to that at the end. It's poor from those two players.'
Alan Shearer said: 'Paredes threw two or three haymakers into someone's face. He went for them. There is no place or space for that. We know how much it means to them and we know how much it hurts to lose, but there is a way to lose. Too many times we have seen that from Argentina. The reaction after the final whistle is terrible.'
Gary Neville added: 'They're very competitive and I love that element of them, but (Paredes) has just been a disgrace for the last couple of games, and why the referees have allowed him to continue doing what he is doing…'
FIFA Investigation
FIFA has launched an investigation into the brawl, which occurred after Spain's 1-0 victory courtesy of Ferran Torres' goal. The incident has sparked widespread debate about sportsmanship and discipline in football.
