Family Of Argentina Star, Who Fought With Spain Players After Loss, Reacts

Barbara Paredes, the sister of Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes, has sparked fresh controversy with her remarks following the loss to Spain in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final. Despite La Albiceleste's 1-0 loss at the New York New Jersey Stadium, Barbara tried to play down the result with a series of controversial statements. She reignited the Falklands banner controversy that erupted after Argentina's comeback win over England in the semi-finals. This comes amid reports that three Argentine players could have their visas revoked for showing the "Las Malvinas Son Argentinas" ("The Falklands Belong to Argentina") banner after the win over England.

However, Barbara did not shy away from reigniting the tensions that have been boiling over for the past few days.

"Getting this far and beating England along the way meant everything to us," Barbara told the reporters.

"We might not have the fourth star, but we have the Falklands for ourselves," she added.

Paredes was shown a red card after being involved in a chaotic brawl with Spain's Eric Garcia and Gavi following the final whistle.

The chaos unfolded after Argentina right-back Nahuel Molina threw a punch at Spain captain Rodri, sparking a massive brawl that eventually led to Paredes's red card.

Not only the players, but several members of the coaching staff also added fuel to the fire.

Lionel Scaloni's assistant coach, Roberto "Raton" Ayala, aggressively shoved Spain's Dani Olmo in the middle of the pitch.

Myriam Benitez, Paredes's mother, defended her son and the actions of the national team players, equating their aggression to passion.

"We never disrespect anyone. Respect always, I think that's everything that motivates us and gets us to where we really want to go," Myriam told the reporters at the Ezeiza airport in Buenos Aires.

"I know what the Argentine National Team means to my son."

Source: NDTV Trending