Argentina star Leandro Paredes has responded to his nation's World Cup final loss against Spain, saying that the result was a fair one. He has also dismissed any talk of conspiracy theories throughout the tournament.
It was reported that Paredes was shown a red card following the 1-0 loss after extra time, after an altercation with Spain players. However, the sending off has been removed from the records with no disciplinary action taken.
Return to Action
Instead of taking the usual break after a major international tournament, the 32-year-old has already returned to action for club side Boca Juniors. He played the full game of Boca's 1-0 win over O'Higgins in leg one of the Sudamericana knockout play-off.
Speaking afterwards, he was inevitably quizzed about the World Cup, with conspiracy theories amongst the subjects raised.
Conspiracy Theories Dismissed
Footage of Lionel Messi addressing his squad prior to the match, urging them to 'forget what happened', has fuelled speculation that something untoward occurred. A clip of the moment circulating widely on social media appears to show both Enzo Fernandez and Lisandro Martinez visibly distressed as they emerged from the dressing room.
Martinez was withdrawn just before half-time, seemingly through injury, having already been shown a yellow card. Fernandez also departed prematurely, dismissed in the third minute of second-half stoppage time.
Paredes, however, has flatly dismissed the speculation. In quotes reported by AS and translated into English from Spanish, he said: 'Spain was superior to us in the final; they are a fair winner of the World Cup.'
'We don't give a damn about these theories. If it's what I hear, I have to go crazy.'
'Everything that was said before, during and after the World Cup. We had a great tournament. We have to enjoy what we achieved in these eight years; it was a spectacular process. Surely we will fall when time passes because it is something incredible.'
Future Uncertainty
He told ESPN: 'For many, it will be a decision whether to continue or not. It was a spectacular process. It will be very difficult to maintain this level and keep the group functioning in this way.'
'You have to think, take stock, and talk to the coach. Decisions must be made calmly. I don't know if I'm going to go on.'
'I think it's going to be a long process to overcome what we experienced. Although we achieved a lot, the pain of losing the final is going to hurt for a long time, because we were very close again.'
'But we have to enjoy it because it's not easy to maintain the level we had for so long to achieve what we did. Although we lost the final, I think we had a World Cup where the people saw themselves reflected, and for us that is very gratifying.'
