A week after the final, defender Lisandro Martinez pushed back against the so-called “Anti-Argentina” campaign and denied allegations that the team disrespected Spain during postgame celebrations. As the Spain players stood on the podium celebrating and hoisting the World Cup trophy, camera angles showed the Argentine roster standing near the sideline with their backs turned toward La Roja. The moment came shortly after the final whistle, which saw a viral scuffle break out between players from both sides.
‘After the final, we greeted all the Spanish players and coaching staff,’ he added. ‘The image where we appear with our backs to the camera was because we stayed singing with our fans. ‘It was a show of respect towards the Argentine fans, we couldn’t leave.’
Martínez concluded by clarifying the context behind the viral image of the team facing away from the stage after falling short of back-to-back titles: “And then obviously the image that you see where we are turning our backs is when we our people were singing to us, right? So, it was also a show of respect towards our people, staying there in the moment that we had to stay.“.
The Manchester United centre-back has been ‘angered’ by the negative reaction Argentina have faced in the days that have followed and is adamant he and his team-mates treated all opponents with the utmost respect. ‘I have mixed feelings. It makes me a little angry because they have no basis for generating that hatred,’ Martinez said after receiving a hero’s welcome on his return to his hometown Gualeguay. ‘They say we’re arrogant but maybe it says more about the people who say those things than about us. ‘We have always been respectful to our opponents.’
The Palmeiras striker, 25, was subsequently praised for having the decency to watch Spain’s players celebrate becoming world champions - despite how painful it may have been.