Luis de la Fuente slams Scaloni’s Argentina after World Cup sanctions confirmed, claiming Spain’s ‘players were the victims’
worldsoccertalk.com · 13 hours ago
Luis de la Fuente slammed Lionel Scaloni's Argentina following the altercations in the World Cup final and after the sanctions were confirmed, claiming that the Spain "players were the victims." The 2026 World Cup final between Argentina and Spain produced massive global fallout following a chaotic post-match melee after the final whistle. With FIFA confirming official disciplinary sanctions for all parties involved, La Roja head coach Luis de la Fuente strongly criticized the behavior of Lionel Scaloni’s squad, insisting that Spain’s players were entirely innocent targets during the altercation. Moments after Spain secured the world title, several altercations broke out as multiple Argentine players and assistant coach Roberto Ayala confronted and physically shoved Spanish players across the pitch. Following a full review by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, the Argentine Football Association was fined $321,000 for systemic misconduct, accompanied by individual player suspensions. Beyond the organizational fine, midfielder Leandro Paredes received a 10-match suspension, defender Nahuel Molina was handed a seven-match ban, forward Thiago Almada received a one-match suspension, and assistant coach Roberto Ayala was suspended for three matches. The sole Spain player sanctioned was Gavi, who received a one-match ban alongside a $30,000 fine. De la Fuente addresses the disciplinary measures Speaking to Spanish national radio network RNE, De la Fuente made his stance clear regarding the incident: “Football is a fundamental pillar of society, of unity, peace, and harmony. There are other ugly parts which are the ones usually highlighted. They need to be brought to light so that they do not happen again. It is intolerable and unacceptable.“ "No se puede dar una imagen tan fea de una final ante más de 2.000 millones de personas"Luis de la Fuente, DT de España, dijo que la final del Mundial fue "inadmisible", señaló que "hay que visibilizar para que no se produzca más" y afirmó: "Nuestros jugadores fueron víctimas". pic.twitter.com/58ozj17lnS— Corta (@somoscorta) August 25, 2026 When asked about the severe penalties assessed to the Argentine players, particularly the 10-match ban given to Paredes, De la Fuente defended the governing body’s decision. “There are governing bodies and each one makes the decision it believes it has to make. What cannot happen is projecting that image, in front of over two billion people, of such an ugly ending,” De La Fuente addressed. The Spanish manager concluded by firmly defending his squad while placing full responsibility on the opposition: “But the most important thing is that our players were the victims. None of them had anything to do with any of those clashes: they were victims and, truly, the ones harmed by all those situations.“ Scaloni and De la Fuente navigate personal history amid controversy Both Lionel Scaloni and Luis de la Fuente share a longstanding personal connection, having forged a friendship while Scaloni was earning his UEFA coaching badges with De La Fuente serving as one of his instructors. Fate ultimately brought them together on soccer’s grandest stage, though the final whistle produced an outcome neither manager desired. De la Fuente confirmed he received personal messages of apology from Scaloni and several Argentine players, reiterating that such scenes must be eradicated for the integrity of the sport. “I have a tremendous relationship with him and he is a friend; he is a person with values and principles, and I know he did not like that behavior,” De la Fuente said regarding Scaloni.