World Cup final: FIFA investigation launched after disgraceful Argentina throw punches at Spain stars

World Cup final: FIFA investigation launched after disgraceful Argentina throw punches at Spain stars Spain have been crowned world champions but the behaviour of Argentina at the final whistle has led to calls for Fifa to ban several players - follow all the reaction Spain are world champions, beating a bad-tempered Argentina 1-0 in New Jersey in the final. Ferran Torres's extra time winner came after nearly two hours of goalless football at MetLife Stadium and with Argentina reduced to 10 men by Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez getting sent off for two bookable offences. At the final whistle, a huge brawl kicked off, triggered by Leandro Paredes attacking a number of Spain players including Rodri, Eric Garci and Gavi - with Paredes sent-off for throwing punches and kicking out. There have been calls for Fifa to "throw the book" at Argentina, who also turned their backs on Spain receiving their medals and lifting the trophy in another poor act of sportsmanship. Will Messi retire from international football? Will Fifa launch disciplinary proceedings against Argentina? Was Rodri the best player at the tournament? Join in the conversation in the comments below. Key Events Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez has posted on Instagram after his red card in the World Cup final. The Argentina star sent a message to fans thanking them for their support - but not apologising for picking up the two bookings which arguably cost his side dearly. He said: "As time goes by, you realize there is something much bigger than just a result. "For years, this group has represented us in the best possible way. It teaches that competing isn't just about winning; it’s about giving your all for the jersey and never giving up. It has been a privilege to be part of a group that always stepped up, competed at the highest level, and defended these colors with pride, humility, and commitment. "I want to thank all the Argentine fans. Thank you for always being there, for supporting us in every match, for the affection, for the unconditional support, and for making us feel at home anywhere in the world. "Wearing my country's jersey is the greatest honor of my career, and I will continue to give my all every time I get to defend it." CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez appears to have leaked that the 2030 World Cup will have 64 teams taking part. The head of football in South America has posted on X about the next tournament, with the 2030 instalment coming 'home' to Uruguay - the scene of the first ever staging of the tournament back in 1930. But after FIFA upped the number of teams taking part from 32 to 48 for this year's tournament, the CONMBEOL chief appears to have confirmed that number will increase again in four years' time. Posting on X, he said: "The next one is played at home! In 2030, the World Cup comes to Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay, a great opportunity for soccer, to celebrate the Centenary of the World Cup with a competition featuring 64 teams." Lionel Messi has spoken about the "immense" pain of losing what is likely to be his last World Cup final. The 39-year-old ultimately came up just short in his bid to retain the trophy with Argentina, losing to Spain in extra-time out in New Jersey. He took to Instagram to say... The pain is immense, and this wound will take time to heal. But I also hold onto all the good things... The matches we turned around by giving it our all—moments that will remain in our memories forever—and the support of an entire country which, combined with this group's hard work and effort, brought us back among the world's elite once again. It is hard to fully appreciate our achievement right now, but this group reached two consecutive World Cup finals. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for every greeting and message. Once again, we managed to unite as a country and stand together, sharing the immense pride of being Argentine. I also want to congratulate Spain on winning the championship. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin did not attend the World Cup final in New Jersey, with the BBC reporting that his decision was a protest against FIFA. Ceferin did travel to Mexico City for the opening game of the tournament, but allegedly decided to skip the final due to decisions made by FIFA throughout the tournament. UEFA took a particularly strong stance after US president Donald Trump attempted to intervene after Folarin Balogun was shown a red card that would have ruled him out of their Round of 16 clash against Belgium. At the time, UEFA said in a statement: "When the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a competition is undermined." Ceferin is also said to be 'firmly against' other FIFA changes, including the half-time show during the final - which will not be adopted by either the Champions League or European Championships. BBC’s peak audience share for the World Cup final was four times greater than that of ITV. That is an increase from the 3.25 times at the 2022 final in Qatar. The BBC’s peak audience was 15.8m on TV and iPlayer, with ITV’s figure 3.8m. There's no rest when you're a world champion and Spain have already been posing for photographs in Madrid with the royal family. Argentina star Cristian Romero may not take too kindly to the reaction of one of his Spurs team-mates to Spain's World Cup victory. Richarlison slid across the floor of his home after Ferran Torres' winning goal. There's perhaps no surprise that the Brazilian did not want to see Argentina come away victorious, but it could lead to a slightly awkward reunion. Argentina have been described in a surprising fashion following the World Cup final. While they have come in for severe admonishment in England, in their home country, they have been praised for their conduct. It's an interesting take on the situation. A World Cup defeat and violent scenes at full-time... cause for a public holiday in Argentina, apparently. The nation's president has announced the plan for Lionel Scaloni's squad's return. It has been confirmed, sadly, that Kevin Keegan has died. A fan favourite at Newcastle, who was a star at Hamburg and Liverpool, he has passed away aged 75. Keegan scored 21 goals in 63 England appearances, and captained the Three Lions 31 times before retiring following the 1982 World Cup. Belgium boss Rudi Garcia has left his role as the nation's head coach. They were knocked out by eventual winners Spain in the last eight. FIFA are set to investigate Argentina's behaviour after the final whistle at the World Cup final. The match ended in chaos as punches were thrown from furious Argentina stars as Spain's celebrations started. Wayne Rooney has called Gianni Infantino’s decision to wear trainers with his suit during the World Cup final presentation ‘stupid’, reports Amie Wilson. The FIFA president walked onto the pitch alongside US President Donald Trump ahead of presenting Spain with the trophy. The nation won the title for the second time in their history thanks to a 1-0 extra-time win over Argentina. Spain dominated the match, but couldn’t find a way past Lionel Scaloni’s side in 90 minutes. Gary Lineker described Enzo Fernandez’s red card in the World Cup final as 'crazy' - as Alan Shearer branded the Argentina star 'stupid', reports Connor O'Neill. Fernandez was sent off just before the additional period for a second yellow card. The Chelsea midfielder picked up his first yellow card for showing dissent towards referee Slavko Vincic. He received his marching orders after a poor challenge on Pau Cubarsi in the last minute of normal time. Fernandez raised his hands to the Argentinian supporters, asking for forgiveness as he made his way down the tunnel. And following his side’s 1-0 defeat, Fernandez witnessed his team-mates Leandro Paredes and Thiago Almada clash with Spain’s Gavi, which resulted in Paredes also receiving a red card. Former Premier League referee Graham Scott has identified two errors that referee Slavko Vincic made during the World Cup final. There was drama throughout the game, with Argentina star Enzo Fernandez getting sent off for receiving two yellow cards in the closing stages of the 90 minutes. Leandro Paredes was also shown a red card after the final whistle, following a heated altercation with Spain duo Eric Garcia and Gavi. Vincic also handed out yellow cards to Lisandro Martinez, Cristian Romero and Alexis Mac Allister, but Scott has argued why the latter should have been cautioned earlier in the game. Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi came together for a moment after the World Cup final - which may well mark the end of the Argentine's career with his country, reports Samuel Meade. Spain were deserving winners having outclassed the South Americans, who were seeking to defend their title. The European champions dominated throughout and finally secured the winning goal through Ferran Torres in extra-time. It means Yamal, who is still just 19, has now won the Euros and the World Cup as his status as one of the game's superstars continues to grow. He took time out of the Spanish celebrations to go and find Messi after full-time. Argentina are facing the prospect of being hit with a double punishment following the red cards handed to Enzo Fernandez and Leandro Paredes in the World Cup final. Spain claimed a 1-0 victory over the defending champions to win the tournament at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. There were chaotic scenes after the final whistle as Paredes was also shown a red card after kicking Eric Garcia to the floor and appearing to place his hand around the Spain defender’s throat during a heated confrontation, before going on to push Gavi to the floor. Lamine Yamal was spotted celebrating Spain's World Cup win over Argentina with his younger brother, Keyne, at MetLife Stadium. Ryan Taylor has reported on the World Cup final in New Jersey, which saw pPain claim a 1-0 win over Argentina. Should that be the last we ever see of Lionel Messi at a World Cup - it was a sorry way to bow out.Argentina's tournament ended in disgrace and despite their captain's genius, he could not totally distance himself from what can only be described as a national embarrassment.After all, it was the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner who tried to engineer Marc Cucurella's dismissal in a sheer act of desperationThe newly-signed Real Madrid left-back admittedly briefly covered his mouth but the 39-year-old veteran and Enzo Fernandez's unsuccessful attempts to snitch on and intimidate Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic were shameful and smacked of desperation. Spain's World Cup win over Argentina was marred by unsavoury scenes at the full-time whistle, with punches thrown. Leandro Paredes was sent off following the whistle, while Molina also appeared to throw a punch after the match. The latter took a swing at Rodri, while Paredes was spotted kicking Eric Garcia to the floor before pushing him back with a hand around his neck when the Barcelona defender attempted to confront him. He was also spotted in an exchange with Gavi. Chaos reigned as Spain begain their jubilant celebrations elsewhere on the pitch. Spanish football fans took to the streets of London to celebrate their country’s 1-0 World Cup final victory over Argentina, PA reports. Videos circulating on social media showed revellers dancing on the roofs of cars in Piccadilly in the early hours of Monday. Fans could be seen waving flags and chanting loudly as car horns blared in the background. If you were supporting Argentina, you're probably not in the best of moods right now. But at least you haven't lost £1.1m on a bet, like Canadian rapper Drake has. In case you missed it, it looks like Tottenham star Cristian Romero, who played for Argentina in the final, snubbed Donald Trump. If you're a Spain fan still celebrating, drink it in... In the last few moments, Javier Milei, the President of Argentina, has announced the country will have a national holiday - but it's up to the team to decide when. The right-wing politician posted in Spanish on X a few moments ago. The message, translated into English, said: "WORLD CELEBRATION. "Given the concern about the celebrations for the achievement reached by the Argentine National Team, I inform the population that, depending on what the Players and the Technical Staff decide regarding the day to celebrate, it will be declared a national holiday." This might end up being the enduring image of this World Cup - the President photobombing the trophy lift. Celebrations are firmly underway across Spain. As Rodri lifted the trophy for his country, about 47 million people had already started the party... It's been a summer of football - but there is not long to wait if you want even more action. Some domestic competitions, like the Scottish league cup, have already started, as have the qualifying stages for the European club tournaments. In England, the league cup starts in just 18 days, and the EFL kicks off a week later - so it's a 25 day wait for league football to restart. The Premier League starts later than both - there are are only 32 days until when champions Arsenal host Coventry, who won the Championship last year. And, next summer, we have the women's World Cup to look forward to in Brazil, and the men's Euros in the UK and Ireland a year after that. It really never stops. Here's some more reaction from Ferran Torres, Spain's match-winner and a man who will probably never need to buy a drink for the rest of his life. "I think in the end the goal came from 47 million people (approximately the population of Spain), not just those of us that are here,” the Barcelona star said, speaking to FIFA host broadcasters in the mixed zone after the match. “Today destiny was written, it was made for us to win. We’re far from our people today but we tried to be as close as possible to them. “Finals are hard. When you have (Lionel) Messi on the opposing team you do get worried but we always backed ourselves and tried to show our football and I think we managed to do it once again.” BBC pundit and ex-England goalkeeper Joe Hart has slammed Argentina's conduct after the match, telling viewers: “There was one man on the pitch who did have class and that was Lionel Messi, who shook hands with every one of those Spanish players. “The game’s done. They could have absolutely no complaints about what happened today. Disgusting behaviour.” In the aftermath,a fracas broke out between Leandro Parades and several Spain players. Hart added: “Spain fully deserve it. They have been absolutely superb all tournament. “They have dominated all game against a rigid, rugged Argentina. The best team has won this World Cup.” He was joined on the panel by Wayne Rooney, who added: “Does it surprise you? It doesn’t surprise me. “We’ve seen this with Argentina before. It’s just not the reaction you want. We’ve seen some of the reaction after knocking England out in the last round. “That’s just sad. If you lose a game of football, be graceful and get out of there. It’s really poor from them.”