More than 23 million people have signed a petition calling for Argentina to be kicked out of the World Cup – a campaign that nearly broke the Guinness World Record.
The 'Argentina Out' petition, now closed, gathered 23,316,108 signatures, fuelled by allegations of favouritism and a violent post-final brawl. The appeal accuses FIFA and referees of being 'biased toward Lionel Messi and Argentina', asking: 'Why should the rest of the world compete when the winner has already been decided? Kick Argentina out of the World Cup and give everyone else a fair chance.'
“Petition to kick Argentina out of World Cup gets 23m signatures as FIFA investigates post-final brawl.”
FIFA has appointed an ethics prosecutor to investigate altercations between Argentina and Spain players after the final, which Spain won 1-0 in extra time. Nahuel Molina appeared to throw a punch at Spain captain Rodri, while Leandro Paredes clashed with Eric Garcia. Assistant coach Roberto Ayala and player Thiago Almada were also reportedly involved.
The actions could be judged as 'violating the basic rules of decent conduct' and 'behaving in a way that brings the sport of football and/or Fifa into disrepute', according to FIFA's disciplinary committee.
Argentina's image has soured during this tournament. New York magazine has dubbed them the 'surprise villains', while The New York Times reported that other nations hope they lose. The team and fans have been criticised for racist chants and a banner reading 'Las Malvinas son Argentinas' (The Falklands are Argentine) during post-match celebrations. Under Javier Milei's presidency, the team's association with right-wing allies has drawn further scrutiny.
The ethics prosecutor has the power to enforce a global ban. The investigation continues.