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BANGLA EPAPER 📍 Dhaka 📅 Tuesday | 21 July 2026, 6 Srabon 1433

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Ugly end to world cup final

Published : Monday, 20 July, 2026 at 5:44 PM

Hasibul Islam

Collected Photo

Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes has come under heavy criticism after allegedly striking Spain's Eric Garcia and Gavi during a heated confrontation following Argentina's defeat in the FIFA World Cup final. The incident marred Spain's title celebrations and ended with Paredes being shown a red card after the final whistle.

As Spain's players celebrated their World Cup triumph on the pitch, tensions escalated when Paredes became involved in a verbal exchange with defender Eric Garcia. The argument quickly turned physical, with Paredes reportedly punching Garcia, triggering a confrontation involving players from both teams.

Spain's players rushed in to defuse the situation, with midfielder Gavi attempting to calm matters. However, the clash intensified when Argentina's Thiago Almada pushed Gavi aside, after which Paredes allegedly struck the Spanish midfielder in the face. Gavi fell to the ground but was able to recover without further incident.

Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni immediately ran onto the pitch and pulled Paredes away as officials and players attempted to restore order. While an assistant referee initially observed the incident, the referee later issued a straight red card to Paredes for his actions.

The reason behind Paredes' outburst remains unclear. Apart from Scaloni, no Argentina player spoke to the media after the match, leaving the incident unexplained from the Argentine camp.

The post-match scenes drew widespread condemnation from football pundits. Speaking on ITV, former England defender Gary Neville described the incident as "extremely embarrassing," saying he admired Argentina's competitive spirit but had been disappointed by the team's conduct in recent matches.

BBC pundit Alan Shearer was equally critical, stating that Paredes struck an opponent "two or three times" and insisted there was "no place for that in football." While acknowledging the pain of losing such an important match, Shearer said players must accept defeat with dignity, adding that Argentina had displayed similar behaviour on previous occasions.

Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart also criticised the incident, telling The Mirror that Lionel Messi was the only Argentine player to show exemplary sportsmanship after the match. Hart praised Messi for shaking hands with every Spain player and said Argentina had "no grounds for complaint" after the final, describing the team's post-match behaviour as "disgraceful."

-HIS

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Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury

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