FIFA is considering disciplinary action against Argentina and the Netherlands for their tense World Cup quarterfinal match.
Throughout the game, tensions rose and threatened to boil over on several occasions, leading to numerous scrapes between the two sides.
In addition to giving Dutch right-back Denzel Dumfries his marching orders, referee Antonio Lahoz set a World Cup record by issuing 18 yellow cards during the contest.
The Dutch players appeared to be trying to divert the opposition players during the penalty shootout that saw Argentina advance to the semi-finals.
Even the renowned quiet Lionel Messi got into a brawl with Wout Weghorst of the Netherlands after the game was over.
Argentina is being investigated by FIFA’s disciplinary committee “due to potential breaches of articles 12 (misconduct of players and officials) and 16 (order and security at matches),” the organisation said.
The statement went on to say: “Additionally, the FIFA disciplinary committee has opened proceedings against the Dutch Football Association due to potential breaches of article 12 of the Fifa disciplinary code in relation to the same match.”
In order to win their third World Cup overall and their first since 1986, Argentina will now play Croatia in the World Cup semifinals.
Louis van Gaal, manager of the Netherlands, resigned from his position effective immediately after the competition, as he had previously announced.
