Spanish fans directed sarcastic chants of "Infantino" at FIFA President Gianni Infantino during the World Cup final. The chants arose after a goal by Spain winger Nico Williams was disallowed in extra-time due to a foul call on teammate Mikel Merino.
With the score tied 0-0 in the first half of extra-time, Williams appeared to score, but Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic immediately blew his whistle. The referee ruled that Merino had stepped on the foot of Argentine defender Nicolas Otamendi, who dramatically fell to the ground. The decision was reviewed by VAR but ultimately upheld, leading to widespread discontent among the Spanish supporters present at the 80,000-capacity MetLife Stadium.
This incident fueled existing accusations that the World Cup had been 'rigged' in favor of Argentina and Lionel Messi. Similar sentiments were expressed by fans and players during Argentina's earlier knockout matches, with claims of biased refereeing. FIFA's chief refereeing officer, Pierluigi Collina, had previously dismissed such allegations, stating that "nobody can question the integrity" of the referees.
Despite the disallowed goal, Spain eventually secured the World Cup title. Ferran Torres scored the winning goal in the 106th minute, latching onto a header from Nico Williams and firing it into the net. Argentina's late pressure, including a near-equalizer from Marcos Senesi, was not enough to change the outcome.
The match also saw disciplinary issues, with Argentina's Enzo Fernandez receiving a red card in the 90+3 minute. Further controversy erupted after the final whistle when Argentinian substitute Leandro Paredes appeared to engage in a physical altercation with Spanish midfielder Gavi as players from both benches entered the field.
Commentators and former players, including Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney, criticized Argentina's behavior during the match and throughout the tournament, with Rooney calling it "sad, very poor" and urging grace in defeat.