One of the only Argentines to come out of the World Cup final with any credit, Lionel Scaloni has joined his compatriots in their dissent.
The head coach of the side defeated by Spain was seen trying to calm tensions as Leandro Paredes unsurprisingly disgraced himself with an attack on Eric Garcia and Gavi.
Making the narrative even more damning was that Scaloni’s assistant Roberto Ayala got involved in the full-time head loss.
Yet the usually classy Scaloni decided to join in with the ‘us against them’ narrative in a social media post.
Scaloni swipes at Argentina’s haters
He wrote: “The effort, the desire, the will, the ‘I can do it,’ the refusal to give up (even when everything gets tough), giving it your all (even when you have nothing left), enduring harsh criticism (from people who don’t even know us), the composure, the will to keep going when your legs no longer obey your brain… That’s the real trophy.”
Further to Scaloni, Manchester United’s Lisandro Martinez followed the same tone.
He insisted dissenters have ‘no reason’ to hate his team, adding: “They say we’re arrogant, but that says more about them than about us.
“They have no reason to hate us, Argentines have always been respectful towards every opponent.”
We assume he was on the phone when the team turned their back on Spain’s trophy giving ceremony…
Argentina condemned by Scaloni’s good friend
Scaloni’s former teacher and World Cup victor Luis de la Fuente had even condemned the team’s post-match behaviour.
Commenting on the scenes, De la Fuente said: “At the time, I didn’t realise it, I was celebrating.
“But regardless, it’s intolerable, unacceptable. We mustn’t accept it.
“Players of this caliber, who have an excellent coach, must have felt just as bad as we did seeing those reactions. It’s inadmissible.”
FIFA has opened an investigation to shed light on the incidents.
Commenting on Argentina’s tactics, the Spaniard added: “I completely understand why they were looking for penalties, especially after the sending-off.
“We knew we had to impose our game. That’s the message I gave the players: let’s play our game, because they have a better grasp of their style, we can’t let them do it.”
Speaking about Spain’s performance, he added: “I haven’t had to watch the final again, but the feeling was that we were far superior.
“Four years ago, on my previous visit, I didn’t expect to get this far, but the journey is made step by step. With what we had, we were going to fight for it.”
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