Luis De la Fuente Condemns Argentina Players' Conduct After World Cup Final

Luis De la Fuente did not bother to sugarcoat it.

Days after lifting the World Cup in New York, the Spain head coach has condemned what he called the “unacceptable” conduct of several Argentina players and members of their coaching staff in the chaotic moments that followed the final whistle.

Spain had just edged a tense final 1-0 after extra time. Relief, exhaustion, then euphoria. While La Roja celebrated their title, tempers flared on the other side. Some Argentina players and staff confronted their Spanish counterparts on the pitch, turning the end of a historic night into an ugly flashpoint.

Among those involved were Atletico Madrid defender Nahuel Molina and former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Leandro Paredes, both seen in footage that quickly flooded social media.

“At the time, I didn’t realize it. I was celebrating, hugging teammates,” De la Fuente told Spanish television. The images he saw later changed the mood.

“But in any case, it is intolerable, unacceptable, it cannot be allowed,” he said. “Players of that stature, whom I praised in the days leading up to the match and continue to praise, who are great players with a tremendous coach, surely they must have felt just as bad as we did seeing those reactions.”

The Spain coach reserved his warmest words for his own squad. He highlighted what he described as exemplary restraint in the face of “acts of aggression” and “provocations” that, in his view, had the potential to spiral into something far worse on a night that should have belonged only to football.

The pressure of a World Cup final can twist emotions, but the cameras do not miss much. The confrontations were filmed from multiple angles and shared worldwide within minutes, yet, so far, no disciplinary measures have been taken against the Argentina players involved.

That may not remain the case for long. FIFA has opened a formal investigation into the incidents to determine whether Argentina’s players or staff breached the governing body’s disciplinary code.

The trophy has been handed over. The celebrations have moved on. But the fallout from New York is only just beginning.