Lionel Scaloni broke down in tears during a press conference after Argentina’s 1-0 World Cup final defeat to Spain, his future as manager suddenly uncertain. The defending champions had been dominated, failing to register a single shot on target over 120 minutes at New Jersey. Ferran Torres scored the winner in the 106th minute, beating goalkeeper Emi Martinez after a barrage of Spanish pressure.
Tempers boiled over at the final whistle. Leandro Paredes was seen kicking and punching as he shoved Eric Garcia to the ground and grappled with Gavi, while Nahuel Molina appeared to throw a punch at Rodri. Argentina had been down to 10 men since Enzo Fernandez’s red card in the 93rd minute for two yellow cards. Referee Slavko Vincic blew for 46 fouls, 25 committed by Argentina.
“Scaloni in tears as fans demand World Cup final replay over 'corrupt' referee”
Now, thousands of furious fans are demanding the match be replayed. A Change.org petition by Gisela Sanchez, signed by more than 82,000 people, accuses Vincic of a “corrupt” performance, claiming he was “bought to influence the match’s outcome.” Sanchez wrote: “If we allow corruption to go unnoticed on this global stage, we are setting a bad example for future generations.” FIFA are already investigating the behaviour of Argentina’s players after the ugly post-match scenes, while a separate petition calling for Argentina to be banned from all future World Cups has amassed over 29 million signatures. For Scaloni, the weight of the defeat proved too much – he left the news conference in tears when asked about his future.