Spain’s Aymeric Laporte believes the referees should stop Argentina’s physical approach
Spain defender Aymeric Laporte believes referees must do more to control Argentina’s physical style of play ahead of Sunday’s World Cup final, claiming too many have been allowed to go unpunished in recent games. In an interview with Spanish newspaper Marca, Laporte said he has no problem with aggressive football as long as the officials strictly enforce the laws.
Spain will face Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the World Cup final after beating France 2-0 in the semi-finals, while the defending champions beat England 2-1 to book their place in the title race. As the countdown to the final gathers pace, Laporte admitted Spain are wary of Argentina’s combative approach, but insisted the responsibility lies with the referee.
“I have absolutely no problem with aggression as long as it is within football and as long as the referee is doing his job,” Laporte told Marca.
“It’s true that we’ve seen things in recent games that have surprised us, especially with Argentina. They’re a team that leaves a lot to be challenged and I don’t think that should be allowed, especially in competitions of this magnitude.”
The former Manchester City defender claimed that repeated tough challenges could affect the rhythm of the game and provoke unnecessary confrontation between players.
“These actions can upset you and make you angry. I think it’s part of the referee’s job to control these situations. If he allows one or two players to do that, then the match becomes chaotic,” he said.
Laporte contrasted Argentina’s style with Spain’s own approach, labeling Luis de la Fuente’s side as it relies on discipline rather than intimidation.
“We’ve been a very fair team since the start of the tournament. We’re not the type of players who go out and try to hurt opponents or make reckless fouls. We have to stay true to that, but a lot depends on the referees. There has to be someone who controls the action so that it’s football and nothing else.”
HALF Mission
Laporte also revealed that Spain deliberately kept the celebrations subdued after knocking out France as the team believe the job is far from done.
“When we beat France, we celebrated in the dressing room, but it wasn’t crazy because our goal is not to beat France, but to win the tournament. Completing only half the mission is not enough for us,” he said.
The centre-back added that Spain carried that mentality throughout the competition, despite entering the tournament with lower expectations than some of the favourites.
“A lot of people didn’t believe in us from the beginning, but we believed in ourselves. Anything other than a win would be a disappointment for us.”
MESSI PRAISE
Laporte also reserved warm words for Argentina captain Lionel Messi, describing the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner as one of football’s all-time greats and hoping the fairytale ending belongs to Spain.
“He’s been a legend since we were kids. We’ve all watched videos of Leo. He’s an incredible footballer and we’ve all loved watching him over the years. But now I hope it’s not for him. I hope it’s for us.”
Spain are bidding for their second World Cup crown, while Argentina are looking to successfully defend the title they won in Qatar four years ago.
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Issued by:
Amar Panicker
Published on:
18 Jul 2026 05:19 IST