Argentina was heavily criticized following their move FIFA World Cup The defeat of the 2026 final in Spain, and what he did at the medal ceremony after the game was heavily criticized by football circles. According to Goal.com, several observers called the athletes “uneducated” afterwards Lionel Messi and his teammates chose not to stay on the pitch as Spain presented the trophies. Spain beat defending champions Argentina 1-0 after extra time at the New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday (local time), Ferran Torres scoring the decisive goal in the 106th minute to secure La Roja’s second FIFA World Cup title. The win also extended Spain’s unbeaten run to a European record 38 matches. The controversy started after Argentina took the silver medals. Instead of cheering on the newly crowned world champions, the players went to the other side of the pitch as Spain prepared to lift the trophy. This attracted attention because Spain had formed a defending team and applauded Argentina on their way to the final medals. The atmosphere remained tense at the individual awards ceremony. As Rodri went forward to receive the Ballon d’Or to be named the best player of the game, some of the Argentine fans inside the stadium responded by chanting Lionel Messi’s name, a moment that also drew criticism. Speaking on talkSPORT, broadcaster Adrian Durham strongly criticized Argentina’s behaviour. “No, no class. They’ve been so amazing. They’ve been so shy these days. The fans, we think, have been smart. But even during the trophy lifting, when Rodri went up to collect the best player of the tournament, the fans were chanting Messi’s name, and chanting Argentina. They can’t accept that Argentina were beaten in the World Cup final,” Durham said, according to Goal.com. Durham also questioned Argentina’s performance throughout the game. “Argentina is a big shame in this game, a shame in the World Cup. In fact, it has been embarrassing all season, except for the 20 minutes against England,” he added. Continuing his argument, Durham said: “Drawn in the easiest group in World Cup history, they worked hard to beat Cape Verde, they needed Egypt to come from behind to reach the quarters, where Switzerland shot themselves in the foot with an unnecessary red card.” He also said: “England in the game were on top, they handed the plate to Argentina, who came here last and embarrassed themselves. Let’s face it, they had Argentina, the most ridiculous series of decisions that have come into this tournament. “ Anger had already started before the medal ceremony. After the final whistle, players from both sides clashed. Footage showed Argentina defender Leandro Paredes appearing to grab Spain’s Eric Garcia by the throat before pushing substitute Gavi to the ground as he tried to intervene. Players from both teams, as well as Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni, quickly stepped in to solve the problem. Paredes was later shown a red card after the brawl. It is not known if there will be further punishment, as FIFA has not commented on the matter. The final remained scoreless throughout despite Spain dominating possession and creating the better chances. Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez made several saves to deny Dani Olmo, Ferran Torres and Pau Cubarsi. Argentina’s hopes suffered another blow in stoppage time when Enzo Fernandez was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for a late challenge on Cubarsi, who became the sixth player to be sent off in a FIFA World Cup final. Spain finally took the lead in the 106th minute when Nico Williams headed the ball into the path of Torres, who fired home the winner to deny Argentina the chance to become the first nation in 64 years to successfully defend the FIFA World Cup. As Spain celebrated another historic victory, much of the post-match discussion centered on Argentina’s actions after the final whistle, with their performance in the match and the medal ceremony becoming as controversial as the result.