Spain defender Aymeric Laporte has suggested that Argentina are prone to using “aggressive tactics” in games, ahead of the World Cup final on Sunday.
Speaking to Spanish publication MARCA, Laporte was asked if he was worried about Argentina’s “aggression.”
He said: “I’m not at all worried about aggression in football. If it’s tolerated and the referee does his job, I have no problem with it. It’s true that in recent matches we’ve seen things that have surprised us a lot, actions that have gone unpunished.
“Especially with Argentina, who are a team that often leaves one in. That should not be allowed in football, especially in such big competitions, because it can destabilise and infuriate you.
“It’s part of the referee’s job to control these things so that they don’t get taken advantage of. If one or two players can do that, the match will get out of control.
“Since the start of the tournament, we’ve been quite a fair team in that sense. We don’t go around hitting opponents or committing crazy fouls. And I believe that is what we have to do in this match. But yes, it’s true that it will depend a lot on the officiating.”
Laporte was then asked if the Spain team had been discussing the matter of Argentina’s “aggressive” tactics in the dressing room.
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“Yes, we’ve spoken about it. The thing is, it’s nothing to do with us, really,” he said.
“There has to be someone who controls these actions and makes sure we’re playing a football match, not something else. That one or two players don’t do certain things.”
Argentina have faced criticism from some, who have suggested that La Albiceleste have benefitted from the officiating in their matches.
The Argentina captain and icon Lionel Messi has hit back at those critics recently.
“We’ve been the best over these past four years, either you like it or not, and no matter what anyone says,” Messi said after the semifinal win over England.
“Once again, we’ve established ourselves among the top two teams in the world. That proves that everything we’ve done is no fluke and that nothing was handed to us.
“Reaching two consecutive World Cup finals is something very few achieve, and this group did it. If we had lost to England, there would have been people coming out to spout some nonsense, but we didn’t give them the chance.”
Spain face off against the defending world champions at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey at 8 p.m. BST (3 p.m. ET) on Sunday.
