Tapia: Argentina faced a deliberate campaign at 2026 World Cup

Claudio Tapia, the president of the Argentine Football Association, has claimed Argentina were the target of a coordinated campaign during the 2026 World Cup. Tapia said he is irritated by people who, in his view, did not want the national team to succeed. He suggested the celebrations on the streets bothered someone enough to turn against the squad. "It annoys me that there seem to be people who don't want the team to be successful. It seems someone is annoyed that people go out to celebrate on the streets. They conspired against the national team. Before every match there was some operation," Tapia said. The AFA chief specifically brought up the semifinal against England, which Argentina won 2-1. According to Tapia, that match carried a special mood, and Rulli had already told him the team would come out on top. "Before this match there was a special atmosphere. Rulli told me we would win. The players did not want to let people down. It was a match we had to win," the official said. Tapia placed that victory alongside the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar. He believes the national team has connected with the public over the past seven years in a way that had not happened before. "The win over England stands alongside the World Cup final in Qatar. Never before have people felt so much joy because of this team. In seven years, people have truly embraced this team," he added. Argentina finished the tournament as runner-up after losing 1-0 to Spain in the final.