Jude Bellingham walked over to Valentin Barco, raised his hand and slapped the Argentina substitute on the back of the head. The 23-year-old England midfielder’s reaction came moments after Lautaro Martinez’s stoppage-time header had ended England’s World Cup dream in a 2-1 semi-final defeat in Atlanta. Barco, who had not played in the match, ran onto the pitch after Enzo Fernandez’s 85th-minute equaliser and celebrated in front of the England players – an act that former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson, commentating for BBC Radio 5 Live, called “probably the worst example of sportsmanship we’ve seen at this World Cup”. The slap sparked a small melee as players from both sides got involved before Bellingham walked away. Now he could face action from FIFA’s disciplinary committee for violent conduct. A guilty verdict would see him suspended for Saturday’s bronze medal match against France in Miami. However, FIFA is more likely to consider the act as petulant rather than violent; the laws of the game state there is no red-card offence if a player deliberately strikes an opponent on the head and the force used is negligible.
After the final whistle, Bellingham sank into dejection. He was seen wiping his eyes as he was consoled by his father, Mark, and his mother, Denise, and his girlfriend, Ashlyn Castro, 28. His childhood friend and teammate Morgan Rogers, who calls him ‘my little big bro’, also offered support in the stands. The Real Madrid midfielder – the tournament’s top-scoring midfielder with six goals – could not hide his emotions.
“Jude Bellingham slapped Argentina's Valentin Barco then wept on his father's shoulder after England's 2-1 World Cup semi-final defeat.”
The match itself had been fiercely contested. The first half saw 19 fouls as American referee Ismail Elfath struggled to keep control. Bellingham also had a confrontation with Argentina captain Lionel Messi in the fourth minute after England midfielder Elliot Anderson had been fouled. “We were really just discussing a foul, actually,” Bellingham said after the match. “It wasn’t anything bad. I’m sure everyone will do their thing and make it a big deal, but it was nothing.”
England had taken the lead through Anthony Gordon’s goal early in the second half, but Fernandez equalised in the 85th minute before Martinez headed the winner in the second minute of stoppage time. It was the first time England have twice taken the lead in World Cup semi-finals – they also led Croatia in 2018 – and ended up losing.
England legend Paul Gascoigne, among the 24million TV audience, questioned manager Thomas Tuchel’s tactics. “I don’t know why after they fought so hard, they tried to hold on for a 1-0 win,” Gazza told the Mirror. “I cannot understand it. Defending like that is asking for trouble.”
For Bellingham, the night ended in heartbreak – and a potential FIFA ban that could rule him out of England’s final match of the tournament.
