Luis de la Fuente Condemns Argentina's Intolerable Behaviour After World Cup Win
Luis de la Fuente did not wait long to draw a firm line under the chaos that followed Spain’s World Cup triumph. The coach condemned the behaviour of several Argentina players as “intolerable, unacceptable” after ugly clashes broke out in the moments immediately after the final whistle at New York New Jersey Stadium.
Spain had just secured a second World Cup in their history. The players were celebrating on the pitch, medals still to be handed out, when tempers snapped.
Nahuel Molina and Leandro Paredes went straight for Spain’s celebrations. Molina clashed with Rodri, while Paredes confronted Eric García and then Gavi as emotions boiled over amid the Spanish jubilation.
De la Fuente, caught up in the euphoria of the win, initially missed the flashpoints.
“At the time, I didn’t realise it. I was celebrating, hugging teammates,” he told Spanish television. Once he had seen the footage, the tone changed. “But in any case, it is intolerable, unacceptable, it cannot be allowed.”
The Spain coach was careful not to turn it into a personal feud, even as he sharpened his criticism. He underlined that he had publicly praised Argentina’s players and staff in the build-up to the final and still respected their quality.
“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,” he said.
The incident left a sour note on what should have been a night of unbroken celebration for Spain. Yet De la Fuente chose to spotlight his own squad’s reaction under pressure.
He hailed the “exemplary” conduct of his players when faced with what he called “acts of aggression” and “provocations”, stressing that their restraint prevented the situation from spiralling into something far worse.
On a night when Spain reclaimed the world, their coach made it clear he also expects them to defend something less tangible but just as important: the line between fierce rivalry and outright disrespect on football’s biggest stage.
