Gary Neville has slammed FIFA for its 'unforgivable' decision to delay the kick-off of Sunday's World Cup final between Spain and Argentina by six minutes. The former Manchester United and England defender made the comments on the Stick to Football podcast with Sky Bet, criticising the governing body for failing to start the showpiece event on time despite having four years to prepare.
Match delayed by lengthy closing ceremony
The final, held at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, saw Spain triumph 1-0 thanks to Ferran Torres' extra-time goal. However, the match was overshadowed by a protracted pre-match closing ceremony featuring performances from Post Malone and popular streamer IShowSpeed. Delays in removing staging from the pitch meant the game kicked off at 8:06pm local time instead of the scheduled 8:00pm.
Neville said: 'I didn't mind the spectacle but that wasn't half a long old day with extra-time and the half-time show. The game kicked off late, that's unforgivable, isn't it? If you kick off late in League Two, you get fined. You can't kick a World Cup final off late. You've literally had four years to plan for it.'
Argentina's defensive approach and red card
Defending champions Argentina, managed by Lionel Scaloni, failed to register a single shot on goal in normal time. Their defensive approach deepened after Enzo Fernandez was shown a second yellow card for a reckless challenge on Pau Cubarsi. Spain eventually made their numerical advantage count in extra-time, with Argentina unable to mount a late comeback to force penalties.
Post-match brawl and pitch criticism
Ugly post-match scenes have sparked a FIFA investigation after several Argentina players and staff appeared to punch Spanish players shortly after the full-time whistle. Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright also criticised the quality of the pitch at MetLife Stadium. 'It was a terrible pitch, a terrible pitch for the standard of player, and the calibre of the player who was playing on it,' he said. 'A World Cup final on that pitch? So bad?'
Rooney slams half-time show
The half-time entertainment also drew widespread criticism, with former England captain Wayne Rooney describing the performance as 'crap'. The lengthy half-time show added to the overall sense that the event's organisation left much to be desired.
Infantino hails tournament success
Despite the controversies, FIFA president Gianni Infantino lauded the tournament as a 'great success'. 'From an engagement – a world engagement point of view – from a community point of view, from a social point of view, from a cultural point of view, this has been a huge success,' he said. 'Now the FIFA World Cup as well is, of course, it looks nice when you watch it on TV. I hope, I think, from the matches I’ve seen on TV, it definitely does. It looks beautiful when you’re there, when you’re in the stadium, when you feel this energy.'
Trump calls for US to host again
President Donald Trump expressed interest in bringing the World Cup back to the United States soon. 'I think it’s a great idea, but based on the numbers, we will be requesting it again immediately,' he told Fox. 'But I said to take out the shock, you could announce us and maybe then for the next one another, and even another. But we have to do this again, and we have to do it while I’m around. You hear that, Gianni?'
