Argentine fans demand World Cup 2026 final replay after referee controversy

Argentina supporters are refusing to accept their national team's defeat in the 2026 World Cup final. The narrow 0-1 loss to Spain has sparked a massive online campaign calling for the result to be overturned. The protest was started by Argentine fan Gisela Sánchez, who set up a petition on Change.org. According to ABC, it gathered more than 50,000 signatures in its first day alone - July 22. Sánchez insists the defeat was caused by biased and corrupt officiating from Slovenian referee Slavko Vinčić. She is urging FIFA to investigate the referee, claiming he was clearly bribed. She calls on fans to join the cause to "restore justice not only for Argentina, but for the entire football world." Despite the outrage, such petitions are purely symbolic, and the chances of a real replay are virtually zero. Interestingly, the football community had already launched a massive online campaign - this time against Argentina. A petition demanding Lionel Messi and his team be disqualified from the 2026 World Cup for allegedly receiving constant referee help gathered an astronomical 23.3 million signatures.