Argentina coach Scaloni complains Spain given unfair edge before World Cup final
Spain secured their place in the final with a 2-0 victory over France a full day before Argentina's comeback win over England, giving the European side an extra 24 hours to recover before Sunday's final
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni criticised Fifa over the scheduling and preparation arrangements ahead of the World Cup final, saying Spain had been given an advantage through additional recovery time while his side had limited time to recover and prepare.
Spain secured their place in the final with a 2-0 victory over France a full day before Argentina's comeback win over England, giving the European side an extra 24 hours to recover before Sunday's final, says Metro UK.
Scaloni also criticised Fifa's training schedule after Argentina were required to train in hot conditions in New York on Friday afternoon, only hours after arriving at 11:00 pm the previous night.
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"We're just now resting because we arrived last night around 11.00. Today they forced us to train at a time we didn't want," Scaloni said.
"But with the press conference and everything, we had to do a strange, quick training session, and we hardly got to try anything out."
Argentina are instead prioritising recovery before the final.
"We are focused on rest and based on that we will see how they arrive, because there are players who are not at 100%," Scaloni said.
"We will evaluate how they are. We play thinking about ourselves, but being mindful of the good things that the opponent has."
Despite his frustrations over the preparations, Scaloni said the support of Argentina's fans had provided added motivation throughout the tournament.
"You see your people, how they celebrate, how they are happy, that gets you, it's impossible for it not to touch your heart," he said.
"At the end we play for them, the team plays for the country, for their family."
"The fans of (domestic rivals) Boca and River hug and celebrate together in front of the TV – how can that not affect you?"
Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez echoed those sentiments.
"The fans are absolutely crazy, different to other countries, seeing them celebrate at 2am in the cold Argentine weather means a lot," Martinez said.
Argentina face Spain in the World Cup final on Sunday.
