What Nicolás Otamendi said to Rodri in Argentina vs Spain fight, why Leandro Paredes attacked Gavi

An accusation of referee bias was among the shocking scenes at the end of Spain’s World Cup final win over Argentina.

La Albiceleste were roundly criticised after players Leandro Paredes and Thiago Almada sparked a fight with their Spanish counterparts.

It made for an ugly end to a spiteful match in which La Roja claimed a 1-0 victory for their second world title.

Among the fiery on-field clashes, Nicolas Otamendi accused Spanish captain and Golden Ball winner Rodri of attempting to influence officials, along with teammate Aymeric Laporte, in the lead-in to the final.

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“Start talking less, idiot. You guys spent the whole week crying,” Otamendi told his former Manchester City teammate, according to translators.

“You spent the whole week crying. You and Laporte, both of you. That’s not how it’s done. You were crying to the referees all week, my friend.”

Otamendi’s fury was sparked, it seems, by innocuous comments Laporte made to Spanish sports tabloid Marca before the final, in which he responded to a question about Argentina’s aggressive on-field tactics by urging the referee to take action if it went too far.

“I’m not worried at all about physical play as long as it’s part of football. If the referee does his job, I have no problem with it,” the veteran defender said.

“It’s true that in recent matches we’ve seen things that have surprised us a lot, actions that have gone unpunished.

“Especially with Argentina, who are a team that often leaves one in. That should not be allowed in football, especially in such big competitions, because it can destabilise and infuriate you.

“It’s part of the referee’s job to control these things so that they don’t get taken advantage of. If one or two players can do that, the match will get out of control.”

Otamendi’s accusation came despite mounting criticism against FIFA and president Gianni Infantino, who had been accused of favouring Argentina and the great Lionel Messi throughout the tournament.

Egypt in particular were left furious after their controversial 3-2 loss to La Albiceleste.

The Egyptian Football Federation demanded an investigation into referee Francois Letexier, who they accused of “double standards”.

“Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running,” manager Hossam Hassan said after the match.

Spanish fans were certainly aware of the controversy, and made their views known by chanting ‘Infantino’ throughout the first half of the final in East Rutherford.

The spiteful aftermath will at last see FIFA scrutinise the 2022 champions, beginning an investigation into the post-match brawl at MetLife Stadium.

“Following an assessment of the relevant match reports for the FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, and in line with article 36 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC), the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has appointed a Disciplinary and Ethics Prosecutor to investigate potential breaches of the FDC with regard to the post-match incidents,” a statement from the sporting body reads.

“Further details will be communicated by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee once the prosecutor’s report has been completed.”

FIFA have, however, confirmed that contrary to reports, Paredes was not handed a red card after the full time whistle for his involvement in the drama.

The Argentine midfielder grabbed Spain’s Eric Garcia by the throat during the scuffle, with FIFA confirming to the BBC that referee Slavko Vincic did not take any disciplinary action.

The investigation is the second to be made against Argentina in a matter of days, with the team holding a banner supporting the nation’s attempts to reclaim the Falkland Islands following their semi-final win over England also attracting scrutiny.

The football world has been united in condemning La Albiceleste for their conduct following the final.

In addition to the full time fights, players were also criticised for turning their backs on Spain’s victory celebrations during the post-match presentation ceremony, as well as for snubbing media to head straight for the team bus afterwards.

However, according to Argentinian media, the players conducted themselves impeccably.

In contrast to the rest of the world, leading newspaper Clarín said the team were “polite and respectful”, dismissing the ugly scenes as “unfortunate isolated incidents”.

“As never before, the Argentine team displayed, both on and off the field, a range of values that are rare these days,” the report reads.

“From the pitch and beyond, they gave several lessons and showed the face of a country that we would like to see away from the football pitch.

“A team that was polite and respectful, despite a few unfortunate isolated incidents in the last match; that didn’t speak ill of its rivals or try to justify its own mistakes by blaming others.”

The newspaper reacted to the loss by questioning the character of referee Vincic, linking him to a “prostitution and drug scandal”.

The scandal in question? Vincic being arrested during a 2020 raid in Bosnia and Herzegovina, over which he was cleared of all charges and had nothing to do with.

Rival media outlet La Nación offered just as much praise.

“The team obtained the most difficult thing: the affection and recognition of the people, even without being champions,” the front page of the newspaper read.

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