[Saba Sports News] Earlier, the World Cup final featured a blockbuster showdown between Spain and Argentina. The two sides fought a gruelling 120-minute battle, and Ferran Torres scored the match-winning goal in the 106th minute of extra time to seal a 1-0 victory and the world title for Spain. Argentina were dominated throughout the fixture, registering zero shots in regulation 90 minutes and trailing 2-20 in total attempts and 0-12 in shots on target across the full 120 minutes. After the final whistle, every Argentine player collectively declined media interviews while passing through the mixed zone — a mandatory procedure laid down for this World Cup. Only head coach Lionel Scaloni faced reporters at the press conference. Notably, Argentina have breached FIFA’s media interview rules in the finals of three consecutive World Cups. After losing the title at the 2014 Brazil World Cup, only the manager attended the press conference with no players present, resulting in a CHF 300,000 fine handed down by FIFA. At the 2022 World Cup (where they claimed the trophy) and the 2026 World Cup (where they finished runners-up), the squad walked straight past the mixed zone without complying with mandatory media obligations. FIFA pursued five separate disciplinary sanctions against Argentina over their conduct in 2022. Repeating the same infraction four years later — with all players boycotting interviews and only the head coach speaking to the press — means Argentina will inevitably face further disciplinary punishment from FIFA.
Among the coaching staff, only Lionel Scaloni turned up for the post-match press conference. He not only fulfilled the mandatory media requirement but also took extra time to talk to journalists in the mixed zone. This stood in stark contrast to the unified silence of the players. Overwhelmed by the immense grief of the defeat, every squad member made a collective choice to stay tight-lipped. Lionel Messi and all other players walked past the microphones without stopping, offering no comments whatsoever.