Connect with us

Sports

FIFA’s Stance on Replaying Argentina vs Spain 2026 World Cup Final

Published

on


FIFA’s stance over replaying Argentina and Spain’s World Cup final has been revealed after a petition reached nearly 100,000 signatures.

Lionel Messi and La Albiceleste suffered a 1-0 defeat to La Roja at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on July 19th. Ferran Torres’ extra-time winner meant the reigning European champions became two-time world champions.

Controversy ensued throughout a tense battle as Enzo Fernandez received a red card for two reckless bookings. Several refereeing decisions upset Argentine players and supporters.

So much so, a post-match brawl unfolded when Argentine midfielder Leandro Paredes threw punches at Spain’s Gavi. Other incidents also took place as the South American nation reacted furiously to their loss.

How FIFA Will Respond to World Cup Final Petition

Argentina's Leandro Paredes clashes with Spain's Gavi after the match REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli

An Argentine fan, Gisela Sanchez, has since created a petition on Change.org asking FIFA to replay the World Cup final. As of Friday morning, it sits at 95,710 signatures, with those signing in agreement with Sanchez’s issues about Slovakian referee Slavko Vincic.

Sanchez claimed that several decisions Vincic and his officiating team made impacted the outcome of the final. She wants FIFA to review incidents and irregularities, claiming ‘this isn’t just a matter of justice for Argentina, but for the future of world football.”

The chances of FIFA deciding to replay the final are all but certainly ruled out because petitions on platforms such as Change.org have no legal or regulatory authority over FIFA competitions. Despite the tens of thousands who took issue with Vincic and his team, a World Cup result can’t be overturned because fans are unhappy with refereeing decisions.

Only under “extraordinary circumstances” would a replay be required, and football governing bodies usually only consider replays in rare cases involving specific rule violations. Even if the petition reaches hundreds of thousands of signatures, it will have no legal or binding effect on the result.

Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni refused to blame Vincic for his team’s defeat and insisted that Spain were the better team on the day. His and Messi’s futures are in doubt and Nicolas Otamendi has announced his international retirement.

You scored

out of 20

‘Argentina Out’ Petition Makes History

Argentina's players look dejected after their defeat to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Mark J Rebilas

This isn’t the only petition to have been created in the aftermath of a controversial World Cup and final. Another one has demanded that Spain be permanently banned from future global tournaments and this has been much more popular.

A website called ‘Argentina Out‘ included said petition and has been signed by over 23 million people from 170 countries in under a week. The creator wrote: “FIFA ignored us but Spain delivered. Thank you Spain.”

While it has now been closed, it nearly achieved the Guinness World Record for the most signed petition in history. The current record of 24,319,181 signatures from 166 countries is held by ‘Jubilee 200 ‘, which was a campaign launched in 1997 calling for unbearable debts to be cancelled in the poorest countries.

Argentina were villainised during the World Cup campaign with rival fans believing they were handed preferential treatment. The actions of some of their players upset other nations, including England’s Jude Bellingham, who took issue with Valentin Barco after a semi-final defeat.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sports

Benjamin Sesko’s Body Transformation Stuns Man Utd Players

Published

on

By


Benjamin Sesko has left his Manchester United teammates astonished by his body transformation as he prepares for his sophomore season at Old Trafford.

The Slovenian striker joined United from RB Leipzig last summer for £74 million, and a promising campaign enthused fans. He found the back of the net 11 times in 30 Premier League games.

A 3-2 win over Liverpool proved to be his final game of the season after a collision with Ibrahima Konate. He was sent tumbling into the advertising boards and missed the Red Devils’ three final matches.

Sesko Transformation Wows Man Utd Teammates

Benjamin Sesko celebrates scoring for Manchester United

The incident with Konate worsened a pre-existing shin injury, which prevented him from appearing in a 1-0 loss to Wrexham in pre-season. But he has been working hard behind-the-scenes, particularly in the gym where he has bulked up to ensure he can battle it out with the top-flight’s toughest defenders.

United fans were stunned when Sesko posted a snap of himself in training showing just how much stronger he looks. While he already had a tall frame, he looks transformed as he works to return to full fitness.

Sesko captioned his Instagram post with a message to fans: “Getting there.”

Sesko’s body transformation hasn’t only impressed fans, but his teammates are also wowed. Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot were among those to respond in the comments section of the Instagram post.

Fernandes wrote: “Brateeee” and included a bicep emoticon while Dalot even mentioned American bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger and wrote: “@schwarzenegger you’re his inspiration (bicep and love emoticons) my brate is stronnnng.”

Screenshot 2026-07-24 at 08.54.08

Brate is a Serbian phrase that translates to ‘brother’ or ‘bro’ and Sesko is clearly a popular figure in the United dressing room. That said, his defensive teammates might not be too happy to come up against him in training as Michael Carrick prepares for the new season with a striker clearly physically and mentally ready to go to war.

Sesko won’t be involved in the Red Devils’ friendly against Norweigan outfit Rosenborg in Norway today (July 24th). He’s remained at Carrington to continue working on building his fitness.

You scored

out of 20

‘I’m Always Active’ – Sesko’s Diet and Routine

Benjamin Sesko with his Man United team-mates

Sesko has followed a healthy protein diet during his career and an article on former club Leipzig’s website (via The Sun) detailed his usual daily menu. His breakfast includes four fried eggs, yoghurt with berries, muesli and freshly-squeezed fruit juice.

On the menu for lunch is chicken, rice and mixed vegetables, including carrots and broccoli, with two slices of bread, followed by a fruit salad featuring mango, watermelon and pineapple. He then refuels with a protein shake and a couple of energy balls and a muesli ball.

Sesko often prefers salmon with mashed potatoes and a tomato and cucumber salad for dinner. He has more museli to finish the day but with the inclusion of some quark cheese, cashew nuts, kiwi fruit and blueberries.

The Red Devils frontman touched on his usual routine when speaking to United’s club media last season:

“It’s always kind of my routine to always keep it up, especially when I have a day off, as I try to enjoy it as much as possible. So I’ll get my coffee, and then I’m big on doing visualisations and meditations. I’ve been doing this for a couple of years – it just became my daily routine.”

He added: “Then I’ll probably go for some treatment and gym work, if possible. I like to enjoy my day off. I like to play basketball and try to find ways to play a little bit, and get active. I’m the kind of guy who doesn’t like to stay in one place for too long, so I’m always active.”

Sesko sat out the World Cup due to Slovenia’s failure to qualify for the tournament, and his focus has been on ensuring he’s ready for the 2026-27 campaign. He could be joined by a new strike partner amid speculation growing over United replacing Juventus-linked Joshua Zirkzee.

Continue Reading

Sports

Tottenham In Talks to Sell Cristian Romero to Inter Milan

Published

on

By


Tottenham Hotspur have been one of the busiest clubs in the summer transfer window so far, and they are now pushing to close another deal, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Spurs have brought in six players already in Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi, Martin Dubravka, Jan Paul van Hecke, Mateus Fernandes, and Sandro Tonali, while they have also sold a host of young talent in Luka Vuskovic, Tynan Thompson, and Will Lankshear to help balance the books and squad.

But the club are now looking at a move that would see a key first-team star depart north London during the window, with a deal very much on the cards.

Romano: Spurs In Talks to Sell Romero

Tottenham Hotspur Cristian Romero warms up

It has previously been reported that Cristian Romero will 100% leave Tottenham Hotspur this summer, with talks planned between the club, player, and his representatives about the next steps surrounding his future.

Now, Fabrizio Romano has revealed in his latest Italian YouTube video that the Argentina international is in talks about a move to return to Serie A to sign for Inter Milan, with Spurs also involved in discussions about a deal.

“Understand Inter had initial direct contact with Cristian Romero’s camp,” he wrote on X.

“Talks taking place on both club and player sides, expensive and not easy, but Inter are trying with negotiations ongoing.”

Romero, who has been described as ‘phenomenal’, was a key player for Argentina during the World Cup as they reached a second consecutive final, but he was forced off injured in the 70th minute as they fell to an extra-time defeat to Spain.

That came after he missed the run-in at the end of the Premier League season with a knee injury, and it now seems that he has played his final game for Spurs.

Fees correct prior to summer 2026

All 10 found — excellent!

Tottenham Well Prepped for Life After Romero

Cristian Romero walks off with a suspsected concussion at the end of Atletico Madrid vs Tottenham
Cristian Romero walks off with a suspsected concussion at the end of Atletico Madrid vs Tottenham

Tottenham have obviously been aware for a while that Romero will be leaving this summer, hence their decision to bring in Van Hecke and Senesi in the transfer window.

With those two alongside Kevin Danso and Micky Van de Ven, the club are well stocked in central defence for the upcoming campaign, especially since they won’t have European football to contend with too.

Romero’s future clearly lies away from north London, and a return to Italy could be something that makes a lot of sense for him. But Spurs won’t sell on the cheap, and it’s clear that there is still some way to go in negotiations before a deal can be considered done.

Continue Reading

Sports

Spain Matches Among 7 World Cup Incidents Flagged For Possible ‘Match Manipulation’

Published

on

By


The World Cup might be over, but controversy continues to unfold in its aftermath, with of Spain’s matches flagged over potential ‘match manipulation’.

La Roja triumphed over the summer and defeated defending champions Argentina 1-0 in the final to win their second World Cup. Their route to the final wasn’t an easy one and they beat Austria, Portugal, Belgium and France in the knockout rounds.

Two of their matches have been included in notices raised regarding possible match manipulation from potential betting irregularities identified during the tournament, per The Athletic.

Spain Matches Flagged For Possible ‘Match Manipulation’

Spain lift World Cup trophy REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

FIFA only issued a statement on Thursday refuting claims of match manipulation and stated that their Task Force “identified no suspicious betting activity or indications of match manipulation in connection with any fixture.”

On Wednesday, the Copenhagen Group announced that seven “yellow alerts” were detected, which means “multiple indicators of irregularities.” Throughout the tournament, an estimated $240 billion in total betting was reached, which is about double the amount at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

There are four levels: green “normal”, yellow “low alert”, orange “high alert”, and red “highest risk level.” While the report has yet to be published, a summary has been released by the Council of Europe.

Their findings include Spain’s shock 0-0 draw against Cape Verde, which started their World Cup campaign in disappointment. It’s said that bets worth $4.8 million (£3.6m) were placed by the American cryptocurrency-based prediction platform “Polymarket” on La Roja failing to beat the African nation, and this proved to be one of the biggest surprises of the tournament.

Now ranked 64th in the world, Cape Verde held on for a point during the group stage game. This was the only time Luis de la Fuente’s men failed to score during the campaign.

Spain’s 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia is also named in the findings due to a three-and-a-half-minute delay by VAR to disallow Ferran Torres’ goal. The Barcelona star was judged to have been in an offside position but the technology took much longer than usual to rule the goal out.

You scored

out of 20

Findings Also Include Balogun Red Card Controversy

Folarin Balogun of the U.S. is consoled by Giovanni Reyna and Timothy Weah after receiving a red card REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Other incidents that were flagged included South Africa’s Themba Zwane receiving a red card in the World Cup opening defeat to co-hosts Mexico. An ‘extremely harsh’ decision resulted in a three-match ban after he was adjudged to have illegally raised his arm on Roberto Alvarado despite the Africans being on the attack.

Polymarket was again named for opening a market on July 2nd that asked: “Will Folarin Balogun play against Belgium?” This came on the same day the USA striker was sent off against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 and three days before FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee suspended his one-match ban to allow him to play.

Overall, 15 matches were placed under close monitoring, with particular focus on the final round of the group stage. They analysed 12 controversial cases, including those mentioned above.

Continue Reading

Trending