Some rivalries never truly move on. As England and Argentina prepare to renew hostilities in Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final, the South Americans have opted for a pointed reminder of one of the most famous – and controversial – meetings between the two nations.
Indeed, the World Cup holders have asked to wear their blue away kit for Wednesday’s crunch semi-final against England. The request, which was confirmed on Tuesday, will see Lionel Messi and Co forgo their iconic pale blue and white striped home shirt in favour of their dark blue away strip as they seek to tap into a significant piece of Argentinian football history.
It was, of course, the same dark blue kit worn by Diego Maradona during Argentina’s infamous 1986 World Cup quarter-final victory over England at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. In that match, Maradona scored both the notorious ‘Hand of God’ goal and the stunning solo effort later dubbed the ‘Goal of the Century’ as Argentina knocked England out of the tournament.
The controversy surrounding the ‘Hand of God’ has endured for four decades. Maradona clearly punched the ball beyond England goalkeeper Peter Shilton, yet neither the referee nor his assistant spotted the infringement. However, Shilton revealed only recently that he is finally prepared to put ‘the beef to bed’.
He told the Telegraph last week: ‘I was second best going for the ball because he (Maradona) got in the first run. So, as a goalkeeper, you’ve got to get the ball if you decide to go. And I was getting the ball. That’s why Maradona punched it in. He would have headed it otherwise. It’s as simple as that.
‘Everyone in the stadium saw the handball except the referee and linesman. But it’s left a lot of people, who don’t judge the situation, making comments. You can’t win. I know the truth.’
Argentina have requested to wear their blue away kit for Wednesday’s crunch semi-final against England
Diego Maradona scored his famous ‘Hand of God’ goal against England in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final in a dark blue kit
Shilton described how he has finally come to terms with the incident, helped in part by a visit to Argentina.
Speaking ahead of England’s game against Mexico, he said: ‘I’ve been holding a bit of a beef for many years. I’ve been over to Buenos Aires in recent years and the people over there were fantastic towards me. They were brilliant to me. Inside, I thought it’s time to put the beef to bed… obviously Maradona’s no longer with us.’
England meanwhile will be in no mood to replicate that historic match, and are expected to stick to business as usual, clothing wise. Harry Kane and Co, who have worn their home kit in every match apart from their final group-stage fixture against Panama, are set to line up once again in their traditional all-white strip.
And they will be hoping for better refereeing fortunes this time around – although the appointment of Ismail Elfath has done little to ease concerns among some supporters.
Elfath has been described as Messi’s ‘favourite referee’ and is familiar with the 39-year-old, having officiated a number of his MLS matches, including the fixture in which the Argentine won his first trophy with Inter Miami.
Argentina’s run to the semi-finals has already attracted scrutiny, with repeated allegations of refereeing decisions going in their favour. The latest complaints emerged after Saturday’s 3-1 quarter-final victory over Switzerland following extra-time, with defender Manuel Akanji claiming that everything was ‘against us’.
Switzerland’s players and coaching staff were left furious by an incident involving striker Breel Embolo, who became the first player to be sent off under a new mistaken-identity rule introduced for this World Cup.
With the tie level after 72 minutes, Embolo received a second yellow card following a VAR review that concluded he had dived rather than been fouled by Argentina’s Leandro Paredes. Under the new regulations, disciplinary punishments can be amended if officials subsequently determine that the offence was actually committed by an opposition player.
Ismail Elfath (second from right) will referee England’s World Cup semi-final clash with Argentina on Wednesday. Pictured with Messi when he officiated the 2022 World Cup final
Reflecting on the defeat, Akanji fumed: ‘Every little thing was called against us’ and ‘I’ve never experienced such a one-sided game.’
And while Shilton may have laid his long-running grievances with Argentina to rest, there is little sign that the broader rivalry is cooling. If anything, the mind games appear to have started well before kick-off in Atlanta on Wednesday evening (8pm UK time).
Argentine media outlets have speculated that Jude Bellingham is carrying a shoulder injury, pointing to footage of the England midfielder clutching the area following the victory over Norway. Bellingham has previously undergone surgery on the shoulder.
England supporters have responded with some gamesmanship of their own, circulating an AI-generated video depicting Margaret Thatcher – the prime minister who dispatched a taskforce to retake the Falkland Islands following Argentina’s 1982 invasion – as the referee for the semi-final.
Between the kit swap, the refereeing appointment and a growing war of words, all of the ingredients are certainly in place for another combustible chapter in one of football’s most charged rivalries.
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