Argentine newspaper claims players were ‘polite and respectful’ despite World Cup final descending into brawl

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Argentina’s leading newspaper brazenly hailed the “polite and respectful” conduct of the national football team at Sunday’s World Cup final despite their players drawing global criticism for a campaign marred by dirty tackles, fighting and political provocation.

“[The team] carried itself in a polite and respectful manner, despite a few unfortunate isolated incidents in the final match,” read an editorial addressed to the players on Monday, a day after Spain’s 1-0 triumph over a 10-man Argentina.

“It didn’t speak badly about its rivals, not try to justify its own errors by blaming others. It fought until the very end, never giving up even under the most adverse conditions.”

The editorial went on to praise the Argentine team for displaying “both on and off the field a range of values that are rare these days”, showing “the face of a country that we would like to see away from the football pitch”.

Argentine midfielder Leandro Paredes clashed with several Spanish players, including defender Eric Garcia and midfielder Gavi, triggering a broader brawl between the two sets of players (Reuters)

Argentina faced scrutiny for the duration of the tournament over its conduct on and off the pitch, culminating in the final with a string of harsh tackles against Spain and a brawl on the pitch after the final whistle.

Fifa confirmed on Monday that the national team would face an investigation into the altercations with Spanish players on Sunday night.

Argentine midfielder Leandro Paredes clashed with several Spanish players, including defender Eric Garcia and midfielder Gavi, triggering a broader brawl between the two sets of players.

Elliot Anderson went down after being hit in the back of the head minutes into the semi-final (Getty)

The teams exchanged shoves and had to be physically separated, with Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni trying to calm down the players at the end of the ill-tempered encounter.

The organising body had already begun the process of potential disciplinary action against Argentina after their players brought a banner onto the pitch in support of their country’s claims to the Falkland Islands, following the 2-1 semi-final victory over England.

Both games were also in the spotlight for Argentina’s on-pitch antics, including Enzo Fernandez’s reckless challenge on Pau Cubarsí on Sunday that earned him a second booking in the dying minutes of the game.

Jude Bellingham and Lionel Messi in contest during the semi-final last week (Reuters)

It took a couple of minutes for Fernandez to leave the pitch and the midfielder raised his hands in apology towards the Argentina fans before booting an pitch-side microphone in frustration.

Fernandez did not apologise in a statement issued on Monday thanking the fans and saying he cherished the opportunity to “defend these colours with pride, humility and commitment”.

The Chelsea midfielder had earlier in the week made headlines for a clumsy challenge on England’s Elliot Anderson. Fernandez appeared to strike Anderson in the back of the head, leaving him rolling on the floor just three minutes into the game.

Enzo Fernandez #24 of Argentina fouls Pau Cubarsi #22 of Spain during the final (Getty)

Argentina picked up the most yellow cards of the competition, with 15.

Earlier in the tournament, Egpyt’s coach Hossam Hassan claimed his team had “suffered an injustice” after his team’s stunning 3-2 loss to Argentina in the round of 16.

Hassan took issue with referee Francois Letexier on several counts. Egypt had a goal that had initially put them up 2-0, but it was disallowed following a VAR review. Egypt also raised concerns that a hard tackle in the penalty box late in stoppage time was not reviewed.