‘Sorry’: Why Argentina’s assistant coach Roberto Ayala apologized after the FIFA World Cup final | Football News

NEW DELHI: Argentina assistant coach Roberto Ayala has apologized for his altercation with Spain midfielder Dani Olmo after the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, admitting his actions were unacceptable. Ugly scenes unfolded after Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in extra time on Sunday to claim the World Cup title. FIFA has since launched an investigation into the post-match brawl.

Chaos after the final whistle

Tension immediately flared up after the final whistle as the players and staff of both teams were involved in heated confrontations.Spain captain Rodri was seen arguing with Argentina defender Nicolas Otamendi. Leandro Paredes was shown a red card after punching Gavi, who ran onto the pitch to celebrate Spain’s victory.Ayala was also involved in the incident. Television footage showed the former Argentina defender approaching Dani Olmo before making contact with the Spain midfielder. Olmo chose not to retaliate.

Ayala apologized for what he did

After the incident, Ayala admitted that he made a mistake and regretted that he lost control.“Obviously I’m sorry. Because of my position, I can’t allow a feeling, or what I might receive from the other party, to change my mood and my actions. I’m sorry, but for me, these are things that stay there and that’s it,” Ayala said in an interview with Valencia Capital Radio.“For me, things should be put behind us and left there. It’s more of a push than anything, it’s not a punch like they say, and that’s it. It’s a reaction to something he said, but that’s it.Ayala said that emotions got the better of her during the tumultuous scenes and took full responsibility for her behavior.“It’s a shame, and you have to accept the facts and the things you did on the field. When the game ended, what I saw was a fight in the middle of the pitch, and we rushed to chase our players, and it ended like that because that’s not who we are,” he said.He added that his original intention was to stop the confrontation rather than be a part of it.“I take responsibility for what I did. My intention was to go and separate them, that was my intention, but sometimes things happen and emotions run high, but that’s no excuse. And because of my position, I should behave differently, regardless of what I receive,” he said.FIFA has opened disciplinary proceedings over the post-match brawl.The governing body’s disciplinary committee has appointed a disciplinary and ethics prosecutor to investigate incidents involving players and coaching staff.