Outside Topic Happy World Cup - Printable Version

Outside Topic Happy World Cup - Printable Version

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RE: Happy World Cup - PVTree - 07-19-2026

Don't know if it's true but I read that the Spanish player went over and told Parades something like "Infantino didn't help you out this time?"

RE: Happy World Cup - DC 86 - 07-19-2026

After the final whistle Rodri (Spain) was running to celebrate with his teammates and for some reason Molina (arg) tried to grab him and then squared up on him. Garcia (Spain) came to intervene at which point Paredes grabbed him by the throat Bobby Knight-style. When Thiago Alameda arrived Paredes grabbed him by the bib and threw him to the ground. Paredes could have been sent off soon after he entered the game and seemed to just be trying to provoke or intimidate the Spanish players throughout the game, although he wasn't the only one among the Argentines. Overall just a pitiful if predictable display by Argentina (predictable in the sense that if they were outplayed or lost they were going to resort to these types of antics during and after the match, as they have for the last 40 years.) 120 minutes of cynical anti-football by Argentina, no shots on goal, just trying to get the match to penalties, where they would have been favored. Crying after every call against them, surrounding the Spanish players who were on the ground after having been fouled, blaming everyone but themselves. Reminiscent of Argentina in the 1990 final against Germany and many other games that they've lost. Fun winners, horrible losers. As pundits declared afterwords, "football won today." It would have been a sorry day for the sport if Argentina had prevailed by fouling for 120 minutes and then winning on penalties.

RE: Happy World Cup - pefloresjr - 07-19-2026

Argentina with their thugish play made it really easy to hate them and passionately root for Spain today. So happy Spain finally put one in the net. Paredes should have been sent off before Fernandez. Giving him a red card after the postgame brawl he instigated is meaningless.

Cheers,
Pete F.

RE: Happy World Cup - Hieronymus - 07-20-2026

(07-19-2026, 09:50 PM)DC 86 Wrote: After the final whistle Rodri (Spain) was running to celebrate with his teammates and for some reason Molina (arg) tried to grab him and then squared up on him. Garcia (Spain) came to intervene at which point Paredes grabbed him by the throat Bobby Knight-style. When Thiago Alameda arrived Paredes grabbed him by the bib and threw him to the ground. Paredes could have been sent off soon after he entered the game and seemed to just be trying to provoke or intimidate the Spanish players throughout the game, although he wasn't the only one among the Argentines. Overall just a pitiful if predictable display by Argentina (predictable in the sense that if they were outplayed or lost they were going to resort to these types of antics during and after the match, as they have for the last 40 years.) 120 minutes of cynical anti-football by Argentina, no shots on goal, just trying to get the match to penalties, where they would have been favored. Crying after every call against them, surrounding the Spanish players who were on the ground after having been fouled, blaming everyone but themselves. Reminiscent of Argentina in the 1990 final against Germany and many other games that they've lost. Fun winners, horrible losers. As pundits declared afterwords, "football won today." It would have been a sorry day for the sport if Argentina had prevailed by fouling for 120 minutes and then winning on penalties.

Looks much more like a punch than a grab. There is a full kick in there later from Parades as well. He commits 4 red card fouls in under a minute which I guess is impressive. I am simply going to repeat my Argentina dark arts comments and why I was pro Spain.

Edit: we aren’t talking the same moment - my bad. It’s Molina who punches Rodri while he runs by. With some choking when Rodri confronts him. And yes next Parades does a bunch of grappling along with a kick.

I expect at least a 5 game suspension for Parades. Possibly other suspensions as well. Molina? Maybe even a federation fine.

RE: Happy World Cup - MV72018 - 07-20-2026

(07-20-2026, 05:01 PM)Hieronymus Wrote:
(07-19-2026, 09:50 PM)DC 86 Wrote: After the final whistle Rodri (Spain) was running to celebrate with his teammates and for some reason Molina (arg) tried to grab him and then squared up on him. Garcia (Spain) came to intervene at which point Paredes grabbed him by the throat Bobby Knight-style. When Thiago Alameda arrived Paredes grabbed him by the bib and threw him to the ground. Paredes could have been sent off soon after he entered the game and seemed to just be trying to provoke or intimidate the Spanish players throughout the game, although he wasn't the only one among the Argentines. Overall just a pitiful if predictable display by Argentina (predictable in the sense that if they were outplayed or lost they were going to resort to these types of antics during and after the match, as they have for the last 40 years.) 120 minutes of cynical anti-football by Argentina, no shots on goal, just trying to get the match to penalties, where they would have been favored. Crying after every call against them, surrounding the Spanish players who were on the ground after having been fouled, blaming everyone but themselves. Reminiscent of Argentina in the 1990 final against Germany and many other games that they've lost. Fun winners, horrible losers. As pundits declared afterwords, "football won today." It would have been a sorry day for the sport if Argentina had prevailed by fouling for 120 minutes and then winning on penalties.
Looks much more like a punch than a grab. There is a full kick in there from Parades as well. He commits 4 red card fouls in under a minute which I guess is impressive. I am simply going to repeat my Argentina dark arts comments and why I was pro Spain.

I expect at least a 5 game suspension for Parades. Possibly other suspensions as well. Molina? Maybe even a federation fine.

I too found the way several of the Argentinian players played and conducted themselves OUTRAGEOUS, Paredes certainly among them. And Messi did nothing to deter his teammates from their repeated misconduct. How about exhibiting some leadership, Messi!

RE: Happy World Cup - BostonCard - 07-20-2026

I wasn’t impressed when Messi tried to get Cucurella carded for covering his mouth when it was clearly a transient gesture (like scratching his nose). Then again, I was also not impressed when a Spanish player spun around and “fell” off a glancing hit. I thought the refs did a good job, falling for neither, and appropriately carding when warranted.

Clearly the best side won; I think penalties would have been unsatisfying, even though it would have represented a reasonable strategy for the side that was struggling to maintain control of the ball all night long, and was benefiting from a goalie playing out of his mind.

Spain was the second youngest team of the tournament, and its wunderkind Yamin’t even win the award for best young player, which went to his teammate Cubarsí. Lots can happen, but Spain will be defending their championship at home in 2030; this team has “dynasty” written all over it.

BC

RE: Happy World Cup - dabigv13 - 07-20-2026

(07-20-2026, 07:43 PM)BostonCard Wrote: I wasn’t impressed when Messi tried to get Cucurella carded for covering his mouth when it was clearly a transient gesture (like scratching his nose).

No, it was not just Cucurella scratching his nose. He clearly said something to Messi.

----

Here is video of that and another interaction with some speculative lip reading captioning. Whatever Cucurella says is pretty short- this video has it as "you good?" though that is a guess.

https://x.com/porqueTTarg/status/2079266127524278574?s=20

RE: Happy World Cup - PVTree - 07-20-2026

I thought I read his lips to be saying to Messi "What's your deal?" 8^)

RE: Happy World Cup - pefloresjr - 07-20-2026

Messi and his teammates freaking out over Cucurella covering his mouth and calling Messi a name is beyond pathetic. I know it's against the rules, but Messi and Argentina going nuts about it after committing foul after foul that actually risked injury to the Spanish players is ridiculous. They had a very strong USC vibe. I didn't have any real antagonism against Argentina based on their futbol history before the game. I knew many fans from other Latin American countries really don't like them but haven't been a fan for long enough to really get it. Now I do. Screw those guys.

Cheers,
Pete F.

RE: Happy World Cup - DC 86 - 07-20-2026

(07-20-2026, 10:23 PM)pefloresjr Wrote: Messi and his teammates freaking out over Cucurella covering his mouth and calling Messi a name is beyond pathetic. I know it's against the rules, but Messi and Argentina going nuts about it after committing foul after foul that actually risked injury to the Spanish players is ridiculous. They had a very strong USC vibe. I didn't have any real antagonism against Argentina based on their futbol history before the game. I knew many fans from other Latin American countries really don't like them but haven't been a fan for long enough to really get it. Now I do. Screw those guys.

Cheers,
Pete F.

The rule is that it's a red card only if a player covers their mouth in a "confrontational situation" which it was not. It was sad that even the normally classy Messi raised his arm and called for a red card like a schoolboy trying to snitch on someone. He then led his teammates in turning their backs to the Spanish players when they received their victory medals. Not the captain's finest day in either playing performance or otherwise.

It's not just Latin American fans that don't like them, they have even fewer fans in Europe. They have acted this way for decades.

RE: Happy World Cup - BostonCard - 07-21-2026

(07-20-2026, 07:53 PM)dabigv13 Wrote:
(07-20-2026, 07:43 PM)BostonCard Wrote: I wasn’t impressed when Messi tried to get Cucurella carded for covering his mouth when it was clearly a transient gesture (like scratching his nose).

No, it was not just Cucurella scratching his nose. He clearly said something to Messi.

----

Here is video of that and another interaction with some speculative lip reading captioning. Whatever Cucurella says is pretty short- this video has it as "you good?" though that is a guess.

https://x.com/porqueTTarg/status/2079266127524278574?s=20

My point was that he was clearly not covering his mouth to say something offensive without it being discovered; the mouth covering was incidental (though it looks more like him scratching his mustache than his nose).

I wasn’t impressed with the antic, but I think the hate on Argentina is a bit much (here and elsewhere). It’s the finals of the World Cup; sometimes emotions are going to get the best of you. In this case, Messi just saw his teammate get carded off. Maybe Cucurella said something offensive, maybe he didn’t, and even though I don’t think he tried to obscure lip reading something offensive, he did momentarily cover his mouth. In the heat of the moment, it’s a chance to get back to even strength.

This is a case where the way the match was called wound up clearly benefiting Spain. In a World Cup final, the refs often let a lot more slide so as not to influence the outcome with their calls. I wonder if Argentina expected the ref to keep the cards in his pocket than he did and was hurt when he called a fairly tight game.

In any case, I was glad Spain won, but more because they deserved it than because of animus towards Argentina.

BC

PS, I don’t know if this will be readable, but the Economist’s Latin America newsletter touched on why other Latin countries hate Argentina.

https://view.e.economist.com/?vawpToken=37C3HU44TRUUVJL7EJTIFHQCGI.70250&utm_campaign=r.latam-newsletter&utm_medium=email.internal-newsletter.np&utm_source=salesforce-marketing-cloud&utm_term=7/20/2026&utm_id=2208757

Quote:Critics point out supposed Argentine defects. One is ego. “Argentines are seen as arrogant, provocative and pompous show-offs, which is almost certainly true,” laughs Pablo Alabarces, a sociologist and football researcher at the University of Buenos Aires. Such haughtiness, haters claim, stems from a sense of historic and ethnic exceptionalism. Argentina was once the world’s eighth-richest country per person and Argentines are among the whitest populations in Latin America. In 2021, then-President Alberto Fernández declared that “the Mexicans came from the Indians, the Brazilians came from the jungle, but we Argentines came from the ships...from Europe.”

That fuels the other allegation, which is that Argentines are racist. There is an unsavoury history. In 1996 an Argentine magazine ran a cover titled “Let the Monkeys Come” about a game between Brazil and Nigeria. In 2024 the national squad filmed themselves singing about French players being from Angola. Numerous incidents marred this World Cup as well. During a match against Cape Verde Islands, a woman allegedly told African-American influencer IShowSpeed “to go cry at the zoo”. The following fixture saw Egyptian fans pelted with bottles. In Miami supporters chanted about Brazilians “crying in the favela”. Of course plenty of other Argentines detest such behaviour and neighbouring countries are no paragons of racial justice.

A lot of this is rooted in stereotypes and generalizations from the actions of players and fans at their worst. There is plenty of nationalist, sexist, homophobic and racial animus throughout Latin America (and, indeed, much of the world), and yet, as a whole, the culture throughout the continent is fun, warm and welcoming.

The Argentine team’s final act left a lot to be desired, but throughout the tournament, they played with grit, dedication, and a never give up attitude. They twice were taken to extra time and twice scored the winning goal in injury time. They came back from a goal deficit in the 85th minute against the third best team in the tournament. They believed in each other and up until the final match were more than the sum of its parts. If you watched some of the locker room speeches that Messi gave to his teammates, it was hard not to feel goosebumps. The best team won on Sunday, but the second best team was playing them, and was about 15 minutes away from sending the game to a penalty shootout.

BC

RE: Happy World Cup - dabigv13 - 07-21-2026

(07-20-2026, 10:40 PM)DC 86 Wrote: He then led his teammates in turning their backs to the Spanish players when they received their victory medals.

This is one of the most inane anti-Argentina/anti-Messi stories being pushed by the social media algorithms during this World Cup. Messi did not lead his teammates in any sort of way to ignore the trophy presentation. In 2022, France was already in the locker room when the trophy was lifted. I don't recall any stories about a controversy at the time and why should there be?

Argentina and Messi were listening to their fans in their end singing to them as the greatest of all time likely steps off the stage for good. At every match in this WC the Argentina team spent a lot of time after with their fans singing, certainly more than Spain or any other team for that matter.

If Spanish fans are offended that the Argentinian team wanted to look up at their fans instead of the Spanish team handing the trophy over to the King of Spain (???) and Spanish princesses(?????), that is some loser sh*t. If non-Spanish fans are offended, even worse.

Argentinian (population 48 million, GDP $0.69 trillion) fans vastly outnumbered the Spanish (pop 48 million, GDP $2.09 trillion) fans during the final, which they did at every single match.

I saw Spain vs Belgium live, which was an exciting match. The one Spanish chant that happened, a couple times, was Es-pan-ya, and it was pretty weak.

Against Cabo Verde, the Argentinian fans sung at least 8 different songs, some with several verses. And the entire stadium sang them (no, none of them were racist, though Brazil and England catch a few strays even in matches they don't play).

In Argentina, it just means more. This I think at least partially explains some of the greatness of Argentinian soccer (Maradona, Messi, Di Stefano, Riquelme, this team playing far above their skill level powered by grit and brotherly love), along with some of the pathologies (Paredes going psycho mode, away fans banned at all Argentinian league matches).

Of course, it is ugly to talk about, but a lot of the hate Argentina gets is probably just jealousy. They have 3 World Cups. Mexico (pop 134m, GDP 2.12 trillion) has none, never been close. The US (pop 343m, GDP 32.38t) has none, never been close. England (pop 58m, GDP 3.6t, invented the game) has one, in 1966 as hosts, no other final appearances.

I know many Mexican fans. ~50% rooted against Argentina, and their reasons are valid and understandable. I guarantee 100% would take a semifinal win over England, where Argentinian fans drowned out the English anthem, the Argentinian players mentally dominated the English, and they won with some bad temper still on the field at the end, rather than losing valiantly in the R16, but at least there are hugs at the end of the game with the victorious English in the Azteca.

Are the Argentinians arrogant? Yes, undoubtedly, and when it comes to soccer they have good reason. I married into Argentinian fandom, but even if I hadn't I would support Argentina because they are a team that should be an underdog, but largely because of their passion for the sport they have made themselves into one of the consistent greats.

With Brazil (pop 214m, GDP 2.64 t) in the wilderness and Argentina probably on the downswing now as well, international soccer is likely entering a period of European dominance at the highest level. And that's pretty boring and lame imho. The Argentinians will be missed in the top echelons when they are gone I think, but they are still far more likely to win another WC before Mexico, or the US, or England, and I think their future is brighter than Brazil as well.

RE: Happy World Cup - jacket3ree - 07-21-2026

I don't think there is much correlation between GDP/population/World Cup titles but appreciate the passion, dabigv. If it were all about economic power or people, the U.S., China, and India would dominate. They don't. Only eight countries have won. Ever. Hope to see some new faces in upcoming cup finals. Cool that you married into Argentine soccer and you are therefore luckier than most. I guess I married into The Azzurri, but not really. She is far more Golden Bear than Italian nationalist.

As to the match, I came in hoping for a good one and that was about it. I found myself rooting hard for Spain after maybe 3 minutes. It was pretty riveting to watch and wait or the inevitable Spanish goal. Sad to see Messi go out on that. I mean zero shots on goal through 120 minutes plus stoppage? That's the number two team? Means the number one team are studs. Spain losing to Argentina on dark arts and penalty kicks (what a keeper though) would have been bad for the sport. The right team won this one.

RE: Happy World Cup - Hieronymus - 07-21-2026

Now it’s being reported that Parades did not receive a post game red card. NOT a good look. So now I really don’t know how his suspension plays out. Violent conduct is a minimum of 3 games and aggravating factors usually take it to 5. Suarez got 9 for his infamous biting incident which I believe technically was SFP not VC but whatever. It’s the same standards and the only difference is during play vs. not during play.

I still think they need to go at least 5 games, but the door is now open for just a game or 2.

RE: Happy World Cup - DC 86 - 07-21-2026

(07-21-2026, 01:53 AM)dabigv13 Wrote: Of course, it is ugly to talk about, but a lot of the hate Argentina gets is probably just jealousy. They have 3 World Cups.

Sorry, no. Brazil has 5 World Cups and they are probably most people's second-favorite national team. Germany has 4 World Cups and while they are not loved they are highly respected and admired, not hated at all.

The vitriol against Argentina on Sunday is because of their disgusting behavior during and after the match, not because of jealousy or due to being manipulated by "social media algorithms." They present a dichotomy: historically they are one of the greatest national teams of all time, full of the greatest players, gritty and passionate and unselfish, capable of awesome play. But when they come up against a stronger side they have always been petulant, thuggish losers. Admirable grit turns into shithousery and violence. When winning they rely on the dark arts right up to the line, but when they get frustrated they cross way over the line.

As an aside, I've been to Argentina many times and love the country and its people, everyone should visit Buenos Aires and Patagonia as a start. My feelings are strictly about the national team and their antics which I have witnessed (sometimes firsthand) for decades; it's simply part of the team's culture, just as much as the tango, asado and mate are part of the national culture.

RE: Happy World Cup - dabigv13 - 07-21-2026

(07-21-2026, 04:13 PM)DC 86 Wrote:
(07-21-2026, 01:53 AM)dabigv13 Wrote: Of course, it is ugly to talk about, but a lot of the hate Argentina gets is probably just jealousy. They have 3 World Cups.

Sorry, no. Brazil has 5 World Cups and they are probably most people's second-favorite national team. Germany has 4 World Cups and while they are not loved they are highly respected and admired, not hated at all.

The vitriol against Argentina on Sunday is because of their disgusting behavior during and after the match, not because of jealousy or due to being manipulated by "social media algorithms." They present a dichotomy: historically they are one of the greatest national teams of all time, full of the greatest players, gritty and passionate and unselfish, capable of awesome play. But when they come up against a stronger side they have always been petulant, thuggish losers. Admirable grit turns into shithousery and violence. When winning they rely on the dark arts right up to the line, but when they get frustrated they cross way over the line.

As an aside, I've been to Argentina many times and love the country and its people, everyone should visit Buenos Aires and Patagonia as a start. My feelings are strictly about the national team and their antics which I have witnessed (sometimes firsthand) for decades; it's simply part of the team's culture, just as much as the tango, asado and mate are part of the national culture.

So you thought Mbappe and France were classless losers for not staying on the field in 2022 to clap for Argentina lifting the trophy?

Speak for yourself, or cite some data. Plenty of people worldwide outside of Argentina support them. And plenty of people hate Germany and Brazil.

RE: Happy World Cup - pefloresjr - 07-21-2026

(07-21-2026, 01:53 AM)dabigv13 Wrote:
(07-20-2026, 10:40 PM)DC 86 Wrote: He then led his teammates in turning their backs to the Spanish players when they received their victory medals.

This is one of the most inane anti-Argentina/anti-Messi stories being pushed by the social media algorithms during this World Cup. Messi did not lead his teammates in any sort of way to ignore the trophy presentation. In 2022, France was already in the locker room when the trophy was lifted. I don't recall any stories about a controversy at the time and why should there be?

Argentina and Messi were listening to their fans in their end singing to them as the greatest of all time likely steps off the stage for good. At every match in this WC the Argentina team spent a lot of time after with their fans singing, certainly more than Spain or any other team for that matter.

If Spanish fans are offended that the Argentinian team wanted to look up at their fans instead of the Spanish team handing the trophy over to the King of Spain (???) and Spanish princesses(?????), that is some loser sh*t. If non-Spanish fans are offended, even worse.

Argentinian (population 48 million, GDP $0.69 trillion) fans vastly outnumbered the Spanish (pop 48 million, GDP $2.09 trillion) fans during the final, which they did at every single match.

I saw Spain vs Belgium live, which was an exciting match. The one Spanish chant that happened, a couple times, was Es-pan-ya, and it was pretty weak.

Against Cabo Verde, the Argentinian fans sung at least 8 different songs, some with several verses. And the entire stadium sang them (no, none of them were racist, though Brazil and England catch a few strays even in matches they don't play).

In Argentina, it just means more. This I think at least partially explains some of the greatness of Argentinian soccer (Maradona, Messi, Di Stefano, Riquelme, this team playing far above their skill level powered by grit and brotherly love), along with some of the pathologies (Paredes going psycho mode, away fans banned at all Argentinian league matches).

Of course, it is ugly to talk about, but a lot of the hate Argentina gets is probably just jealousy. They have 3 World Cups. Mexico (pop 134m, GDP 2.12 trillion) has none, never been close. The US (pop 343m, GDP 32.38t) has none, never been close. England (pop 58m, GDP 3.6t, invented the game) has one, in 1966 as hosts, no other final appearances.

I know many Mexican fans. ~50% rooted against Argentina, and their reasons are valid and understandable. I guarantee 100% would take a semifinal win over England, where Argentinian fans drowned out the English anthem, the Argentinian players mentally dominated the English, and they won with some bad temper still on the field at the end, rather than losing valiantly in the R16, but at least there are hugs at the end of the game with the victorious English in the Azteca.

Are the Argentinians arrogant? Yes, undoubtedly, and when it comes to soccer they have good reason. I married into Argentinian fandom, but even if I hadn't I would support Argentina because they are a team that should be an underdog, but largely because of their passion for the sport they have made themselves into one of the consistent greats.

With Brazil (pop 214m, GDP 2.64 t) in the wilderness and Argentina probably on the downswing now as well, international soccer is likely entering a period of European dominance at the highest level. And that's pretty boring and lame imho. The Argentinians will be missed in the top echelons when they are gone I think, but they are still far more likely to win another WC before Mexico, or the US, or England, and I think their future is brighter than Brazil as well.

"We care so much that our team has to play like a-holes and our fans need to disrespect other teams anthems" is not the flex you seem to think it is. It sounds a lot like "Fight On Argentina!"

Also, of course Mexican fans would love to have gone on and won the semi-final. However, to insult the Mexican culture by implying that Mexicans being gracious in defeat had anything to do with the team losing is absolutely absurd. I don't dislike the Argentinian team because of jealousy, I dislike them because their play in the final was disgraceful and your arguments supporting their actions are not helping the cause.

Cheers,
Pete F.

RE: Happy World Cup - DC 86 - 07-21-2026

(07-21-2026, 04:30 PM)dabigv13 Wrote: So you thought Mbappe and France were classless losers for not staying on the field in 2022 to clap for Argentina lifting the trophy?

I'm not sure why you focus on this one narrow point while ignoring the bigger picture (and numerous incidents) regarding Argentina's behavior on Sunday, and I know that your passion for the team will not allow me to convince you, but here goes:

No team is obliged to stay on the field and applaud the team that defeated them. In fact it would be unusual to do so in most sports, tennis being an exception. But imagine if at the most recent Super Bowl the Seahawks went up to the podium to receive their trophy from Roger Goodell, and instead of having gone back to their locker room the Patriots had walked over to their fans and got them to sing and make noise to drown out the trophy presentation. Or imagine at the Open (aka British Open) last week if Bryson DeChambeau picked the exact moment when Ryan Fox is receiving the Claret Jug to get his fans to start yelling and chanting "Bryson Bryson" or whatnot. In any case, of Argentina's transgressions on Sunday (and previously) this one barely makes the list.

Anyway, we are not going to convince each other about their behavior being acceptable or not. I'm glad that you are passionate about the sport, we all have our preferences. As for Argentina's popularity you can google polls about what team fans want least to win. But so what? I'm pretty sure that Argentina revels in their villain role and uses it for motivation, so they are actually happy to be disliked. As you've pointed out (and demonstrate personally) they have incredibly loyal and supportive fans (perhaps the strongest in the world) so they are surely not worried about neutrals' antipathy towards them.

RE: Happy World Cup - BostonCard - 07-21-2026

Plenty of dubious plays throughout the World Cup. I think it is fair to be critical of Argentina’s conduct in the final, but it is a difference of degree, not of kind. To wit, I thought Spain was pretty guilty of embellishing their falls, including the one that got Fernandez his second yellow (and yes, so too Argentina, including on the disallowed goal). On at least one occasion, the Spanish player full on flopped, but since it was correctly no-called, it didn’t lead to a VAR review. I don’t love that about the Spanish team, but I’m not letting it detract from what was otherwise an inspired performance. OTOH, there was a clear flop by the Swiss player against Argentina that would have led to a yellow card against Argentina but for the VAR review (I wonder how much Argentina’s reputation hurt it on the initial whistle by the ref). I love and respect Haaland as a player, but he’s very physical, pushing the bounds between physicality and outright brutishness at times. Doesn’t mean he’s not one of my favorite strikers.

Argentine fans got panned for being obnoxious and offensive, but AFAIK they weren’t hurling homophobic insults at the opponents goalies. That was not Mexico’s finest moment, but I don’t want the actions of some fans to prejudice my feelings for El Tri, which is one of my favorite teams. And I found it rich for the English fans to be complaining about the conduct of any other country’s fans:

https://youtu.be/OurbgSUrm2c?is=3vDdOx_yhOVznOQ2

And FWIW, when I did a quick search about fan misbehavior, I came across this one:

Quote:one of the earliest known instances of crowd violence at a sporting event took place in ancient Constantinople. Two chariot racing factions, the Blues and the Greens, were involved in the Nika riots which lasted around a week in 532 CE; nearly half the city was burned or destroyed, in addition to tens of thousands of deaths.

RE: Happy World Cup - DC 86 - 07-21-2026

(07-21-2026, 05:28 PM)BostonCard Wrote: Argentine fans got panned for being obnoxious and offensive, but AFAIK they weren’t hurling homophobic insults at the opponents goalies. That was not Mexico’s finest moment, but I don’t want the actions of some fans to prejudice my feelings for El Tri, which is one of my favorite teams. And I found it rich for the English fans to be complaining about the conduct of any other country’s fans.

BC

Speaking only for myself, as someone who has attended many international matches in person, I have no issue with Argentina fans. I think they are fun and add a lot to the atmosphere. There are other fan bases that are truly toxic. My criticisms are strictly about the team on the field itself.