Argentina’s president reacts strongly after a petition to ban the World Cup gets 23 million signatures.
Argentina’s colorful president, Javier Milei, recently shared an unusual social media post, saying other countries are “jealous” of Argentina. This came after more than 23 million people signed a petition asking for Argentina to be banned from future World Cups.
Last Sunday (July 19), Ferran Torres scored in extra time, helping Spain win their second-ever World Cup. Lionel Messi and his Argentina team finished second, after winning the tournament in Qatar last year.
The loss was hard for some Argentines. Leandro Paredes got into physical clashes with Spain’s Gavi and Eric Garcia, and Nahuel Molina seemed to throw a punch at Spain’s captain Rodri. FIFA is now looking into these incidents. Many Argentina players also turned their backs on Spain while they celebrated lifting the trophy, which upset many fans.
The drama didn’t stop there. A petition called “Argentina Out” gained over 23 million signatures in less than a week, with people from 170 countries wanting Argentina removed from the World Cup to “give everyone a fair chance.” On the other side, some Argentinians started a petition demanding the final be replayed, accusing the referee Slavko Vinčić of being corrupt. The petition claims video proof shows he was bribed to affect the game, though there’s no real evidence supporting this.
While Argentina’s Football Association president Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia urged fans to accept Spain’s win, President Milei shared some strong words on Instagram, saying Argentina stands out and others are just jealous. In one post, he wrote, “The problem with Argentina is that we stand out. We don’t go unnoticed, people are jealous of us, and we’re good at almost everything. I’m sorry, but someone had to say it.” In another, wearing an AI-made Argentina shirt, he said, “Long live Argentina, damn it!”
Spain’s coach Luis de la Fuente later criticized Argentina’s behavior after the final, telling Spanish TV: “At the time, I was just celebrating with teammates and didn’t notice. But such behavior is unacceptable. These players are great professionals, and seeing those reactions must have upset them as well. I want to praise our players for staying calm and respectful despite the provocations.”