A family member of an Argentina player was removed from their seating area at the World Cup final on Sunday after becoming embroiled in an altercation in the stands.
The morning after their 1-0 extra-time defeat to Spain, Colombian media outlet Caracol initially reported that at least 10 relatives of Argentina star were arrested after violence broke out at the full-time whistle.
As ugly scenes played out on the field – with midfielder Leandro Paredes reacting to the loss by grabbing one Spain player by the neck and punching another – there was similar chaos breaking out in the stands at MetLife Stadium.
However, the Daily Mail understands that one individual was removed from the area of the stadium where the fiery confrontation occurred, before it later became known that the person in question was an unnamed Argentina player’s family member.
The New Jersey State Police did not confirm that any arrests were made involving relatives of the squad.
The Daily Mail has also approached FIFA and the Argentinian Football Association for comment.
A family member of an Argentina player was removed from an area of the World Cup final
Violence broke out in the stands as similarly ugly scenes played out on the field, with Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes sent off for grabbing a player by the neck and puncing another
FIFA is set to investigate the behavior of Argentina’s players after the World Cup final descended into violence on the field Sunday night.
Paredes was sent off after the final whistle for grabbing Eric Garcia by the neck and punching Gavi in the face before pushing him to the ground in appalling scenes, while Nahuel Molina also punched Rodri in the torso as he was running by.
FIFA is opening disciplinary proceedings into the red card issued to Paredes, with the role of other players and officials also set to be investigated, according to The Times.
His sending off was not the only red card Argentina received on the day, with Enzo Fernandez leaving his country with 10 men in extra-time after picking up his second yellow card in stoppage time at the end of the second half.
Then, at the start of the second period of extra-time, Ferran Torres swept home the only goal of the game to crown Spain world champions for a second time.
Some of Argentina’s players lost their heads as Spain’s substitutes and staff ran on to the pitch to celebrate their victory.
Molina’s punch on Rodri triggered players from both teams to pile into the melee, before Paredes threw punches.
The game descended into chaos at the full-time whistle after Spain’s 1-0 extra-time victory
Elsewhere, 53-year-old assistant coach Roberto Ayala was also caught landing a punch on Spain’s Dani Olmo at full time.
As Spain lifted the World Cup trophy, the Argentina squad was also slammed for standing with their backs to the winning team at MetLife Stadium.
Lionel Messi and Co then came in for more criticism after refusing to face the music and speak to the media following their defeat on Sunday night.
Outspoken US soccer analyst Alexi Lalas quoted a post from Miami Herald reporter Michelle Kaufman on X about Argentina players skipping interviews after the match and simply wrote: ‘Weak.’
