The Argentine Football Association (AFA) is reportedly considering legal action over what they call a misinformation campaign after their defeat to Spain in the World Cup final.
According to a report from Goal, AFA is considering taking legal action over a misinformation campaign against Argentina and their players that swept through the tournament.
The report states the campaign involved confirmed efforts backed by money that spread across social media during the World Cup.
Potential defamation lawsuits would reportedly focus on false allegations, manipulated or unverified images, and accusations made without evidence. The AFA is said to be prepared to go all in, targeting not just major media outlets but also accounts on X, Instagram, and other platforms, Goal reported.
The federation’s legal team is reportedly collecting evidence, posts, and other material to build its case.
Argentina’s players faced heavy criticism online throughout the tournament, much of it centered on claims that match officials were favoring the team. A series of emails allegedly sent from the AFA’s official account appeared to suggest FIFA had favored the Argentine team, with some versions claiming referees received secret instructions to help Lionel Messi reach another final.
By the time the AFA clarified the situation, millions of people had already seen the screenshots and shared the false claims.
Argentina’s run to the final also drew scrutiny for other reasons. Several Argentina players celebrated their semifinal win over England by holding up a banner reading “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” (The Falklands are Argentine), a moment that caught FIFA’s attention given the governing body’s rules against political messaging.
Argentina reached the final by beating England, then faced Spain at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19. Spain won 1-0 thanks a Ferran Torres goal in the 106th minute of extra time. Enzo Fernandez was sent off during the match, leaving Argentina to play a stretch of the final one man down.
The defeat marks a difficult chapter for Lionel Scaloni’s side, who had won the World Cup in Qatar four years earlier. Argentina had aimed to become just the third team in history to win back-to-back titles. Instead, they suffered their fourth World Cup final loss overall, having previously lost to Uruguay in 1930 and Germany in both 1990 and 2014. That ties them with Germany for the most final defeats in tournament history.
Argentina have lifted the World Cup three times, first on home soil in 1978, then under Diego Maradona in 1986, and most recently under Lionel Messi in 2022. The team will look to bounce back when the next edition takes place in four years.
