Luis De la Fuente Condemns Argentina's Unacceptable Behavior After World Cup Final

Luis De la Fuente did not bother to soften his words.

Days after Spain’s World Cup triumph over Argentina in New York, the coach has condemned what he called “unacceptable” behavior from several Argentina players and members of their coaching staff in the chaotic moments after the final whistle.

Spain had just edged a tense final 1-0 after extra time. As the Spanish bench poured onto the pitch in celebration, tempers on the Argentina side boiled over. Some players and staff confronted their Spanish counterparts, turning the end of a showpiece final into an ugly postscript.

Among those involved were Atletico Madrid defender Nahuel Molina and former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Leandro Paredes, both seen in the footage that has since circled the globe on social media.

“At the time, I didn’t realize it. I was celebrating, hugging teammates,” De la Fuente told Spanish television, explaining that he only fully grasped the scale of the confrontation later.

Once he had, his verdict was blunt.

“It is intolerable, unacceptable, it cannot be allowed,” he said. De la Fuente stressed that he had publicly praised Argentina’s squad and their “tremendous coach” in the build-up to the final and still regarded them as “great players,” which only sharpened his disappointment at the scenes that followed.

The Spain coach highlighted what he described as “acts of aggression” and “provocations” from the Argentina camp and warned that the confrontation could easily have spiralled into something far more serious had his own players not kept their composure. He reserved clear praise for his squad’s restraint in the face of that tension.

The images from the MetLife Stadium have been replayed and dissected, yet, for now, none of the Argentina players involved has been sanctioned. The story has moved from the pitch to the corridors of power.

FIFA has opened a formal investigation into the incidents to determine whether Argentina’s players or staff breached the governing body’s disciplinary code. The footage will now be pored over not by fans on their phones, but by officials with the power to shape the fallout from a World Cup final that refuses to end with the last kick.