Argentina Is Out of the Upcoming World Cup; A Harsh Response Follows

It’s been almost a week since the World Cup final, which saw Spain triumph over Argentina. Luis de la Fuente’s team defeated Lionel Scaloni’s squad 1-0 thanks to a goal by Ferran Torres in extra time.

Argentina’s run in the World Cup, however, was, according to many fans, aided by several favorable refereeing decisions, and an online petition was launched during the tournament to exclude Lautaro Martínez and his teammates from the next World Cup.

The initial goal was to reach 5 million signatures, but the petition—which stopped growing after Spain’s victory in the final—ended with 23,316,108 signatures, according to data published by the organizers. Javier Milei, Argentina’s president, responded harshly.

“The problem is that we’re flashy and we don’t go unnoticed,” he wrote on social media. “They’re jealous of us, and we’re good at almost everything. I’m sorry, but someone had to say it. Long live Argentina, carajo!”

The behavior of some players after the final whistle also fueled the backlash against the Argentine team. Leandro Paredes and Roberto Ayala, a member of head coach Lionel Scaloni’s staff, lashed out at the Furie Rosse. The former Valencia star struck Dani Olmo before being restrained by others.

“We saw our players caught up in a chaotic situation and went over there to calm things down; I didn’t want it to end like this. My intention was simply to go over and separate the players. Then emotions and impulses sometimes get the better of you, but that’s something that shouldn’t happen to me given the position I hold,” Ayala later told Televalencia.