SPAIN DEFENDER LAPORTE CRITICISES ARGENTINA'S PHYSICAL APPROACH BEFORE WORLD...

Spain defender Aymeric Laporte has stated that Argentina "likes to leave a mark on their opponents" and that such conduct "shouldn't be allowed in football". Laporte made the comments ahead of Sunday's World Cup final between European champions Spain and reigning world champions Argentina at New York New Jersey Stadium. The Spanish player referenced Argentina's semi-final against England, where recorded fouls numbered 15 and Argentina won 2-1 with two late goals. England fans disputed the validity of Argentina's winning goal, claiming it should have been ruled out for a foul by Lionel Messi on Djed Spence.

Laporte told Spanish sports newspaper Marca that referees must control such conduct to prevent matches descending into chaos. He noted that a challenge by Enzo Fernandez on England's Elliot Anderson early in that semi-final appeared forceful but resulted in no caution. The Spain player distinguished between physical play within the rules and actions he described as problematic. Laporte stated: "If it's within the rules and the referee does their job, I have no problem with it." He added that recent matches had featured "actions that were allowed to slide", particularly involving Argentina.

Spain's manager Luis de la Fuente and captain Rodri adopted a diplomatic stance when asked about Argentina's tactics during a news conference in New York on Friday. De la Fuente expressed admiration for Argentina as defending world champions. Egypt previously alleged bias in favour of Argentina after the teams met in the last 16 on 7 July, with Argentina scoring three late goals to win after trailing 2-0.