Spain Coach: Our Players Were Victims in World Cup Final Aftermath

Spanish national team coach Luis de la Fuente asserted that his players were the primary "victims" and "disadvantaged" by the events that transpired after the 2026 World Cup final against Argentina. The FIFA Disciplinary Committee recently announced sanctions against players involved in the post-match altercation, including ten-match bans for Leandro Paredes and seven for Nahuel Molina, along with suspensions for coach Roberto Ayala and player Thiago Almada of Argentina, and a one-match ban for Spain's Gavi.

Speaking on Radio Nacional de España's program '25 horas,' De la Fuente was emphatic, describing such incidents as things that "stand out" in football and must be "made visible" to prevent recurrence, deeming them "intolerable and inadmissible."

"You cannot present that image to over two billion people," De la Fuente stated. "But the most important thing is that our players were the victims. No one was involved in any of those confrontations; they were victims and truly disadvantaged by all those situations."

De la Fuente revealed that he has received messages of "apology" from Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni and some of the players. He stressed the importance of preventing such situations from happening again for the "good" of football, which he believes should "educate and instill values" in younger generations.