Ahead of the blockbuster semi final tie between England and Argentina, world football governing body FIFA, has again granted the Lionel Messi’s side a special treatment.
By granting the request, FIFA risk upsetting numerous parties after granting Argentina a special request at the World Cup.
Recall that FIFA has faced severe criticism following controversy after controversy in North America, plenty of them concerning the South American side, including the contentious way they eliminated Switzerland in the quarter-finals.
During the final-eight match, Argentina sported black armbands, to pay tribute to Antonio Ubaldo Rattin, one of the country’s legendary captains who captained Argentina at the 1962 and 1966 World Cups and is one of the most iconic figures in their sporting history.
The Argentine Football Association (AFA) requested special authorisation from FIFA, which was approved, allowing players and coaching staff to wear armbands throughout the match.
FIFA did the right thing by granting the special request, but not doing so elsewhere has caused controversy.
France similarly applied as they wished to pay tribute to Didier Deschamps’ late mother, as the national team head coach missed their match with Norway following her death.
The French Football Federation (FFF) were denied permission by FIFA to wear black armbands in memory of Deschamps’ late mother.
Deschamps had returned to France to attend the funeral and was not in the dugout, with his team unable to wear similar armbands to those of Argentina later in the tournament.
Gary Lineker led the backlash against FIFA at the time as he skewered the association for their decision.
France were not allowed to wear black armbands as a tribute to Didier Dechamps’ mother.
Norway presented stand-in manager Guy Stephan with a bouquet of flowers as a gesture of condolence to Deschamps, Lineker felt that more should have been done.
“The loss of his mother is a tragedy. It’s truly sad, and I still can’t believe FIFA didn’t allow the players to wear black armbands,” he told L’Équipe.
France had also prematurely announced that a minute’s silence would be held in memory of Deschamps’ mother.
However, a moment of remembrance had already been confirmed in Massachusetts in tribute to the victims of the earthquakes in Venezuela, where over 900 people died.
Argentina have made another special request to FIFA before they play England, unrelated to the tragedies, asking to wear their all-blue kit rather than their blue and white strip.
They have worn the blue and white colours in every match at the World Cup apart from one, when they beat Jordan in the group stages
