Spain has pulled off the miracle and is the 2026 football World Cup champion. Now that I’ve recovered from the World Cup hangover and the celebrations are over, I want to talk about how the final went (it’s the only match I got up at 4am to watch) and all the controversy surrounding Argentina.
Spoiler: they should get a serious sanction, and maybe even be banned from the next World Cup.
But Goguma, you won. Everything else should be irrelevant
Look, these days I only watch the World Cup and little else when it comes to football. But I really didn’t like the way Argentina played and behaved. They played rough the entire match, constantly trying to disrupt the game and going into tackles right on the edge of a red card. It didn’t look like they were trying to score a goal — it looked like from minute one they just wanted to hold the result and go to penalties. They only reacted after Spain’s goal, but by then it was too late. If they had played with that same intensity from the start, they would have won easily, since they did create chances, but it was too late.
Fine, they played rough. But that’s allowed, isn’t it?
It is allowed, but in my opinion they were allowed to get away with too much. And people didn’t like that — and I don’t mean Spanish fans’ reaction, which is only natural given they were the rival in the final. Everyone I asked here in Korea felt the same way, and it’s not that they hate Argentina specifically. It’s possible the country’s international image has taken a hit, while Spain’s has improved. Soft power, as they call it these days. That said, there may well have been a robbery in the final.
A robbery? Are you saying Argentina didn’t deserve to lose?
Yes, a robbery, but not in the sense they mean it. Spain had two goals disallowed (at that point I was already thinking back to the 2002 World Cup in Korea, when Spain also had 2 goals disallowed). In my view, the first goal that was ruled out for Spain should have counted. The second one, admittedly, was fairer — it was offside. Correctly disallowed, very tight, but fair. But for me, what really mattered came afterward, right after the match ended.
But the match was already decided by then. It can’t be that important.
I’m sure many of you have seen the footage, but for those who aren’t football fans, several Argentine players attacked the Spanish players — something absolutely unacceptable that must obviously be sanctioned. But for me, what came after was worse.
While Spain was celebrating the title, the Argentine players turned their backs. This isn’t a case of a couple of hot-headed players losing their cool — this was ordered from above. This is exactly why the team should be sanctioned as a group, and the punishment can’t be purely financial. It was premeditated and a lack of respect toward their rival and the competition itself, which is why I believe they should be excluded from the next World Cup. During this World Cup, 47 other teams were eliminated from the tournament, and not one of them behaved like thugs — they accepted defeat with sportsmanship and went home. Why do we treat Argentina differently?
Goguma, you can kiss the Argentine audience goodbye
I don’t care — this is a blog, and this is my personal opinion. If someone doesn’t like it, they don’t have to read it. In fact, Argentines themselves should be the ones criticizing this attitude. What would have happened if Argentina had won the World Cup and a Spanish player had punched Messi? All of Argentina would have come down on him, and rightly so. There’s no excuse for people out there justifying these thugs.
They’re going to cancel you. What punishment would you give?
Very simple: sporting sanctions, none of these small fines that get paid off and then it’s business as usual, as if nothing happened. In my view, Argentina should be excluded from the 2030 World Cup, and the players involved in the post-match unrest should get a minimum of 50 match suspensions. Yes, 50, not 5. A full year without playing. At the end of the day, they’re millionaires losing their composure over minor issues — at least compared to the problems ordinary people face.
So, did you watch the final? Do you agree with my take? Are you Argentine and want to stab this poor sweet potato? Let me know in the comments.
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