Stuart Pearce condemned the ‘disrespectful’ decision by England and Argentina fans to boo each other’s national anthems.
The international rivals lock horns in a highly charged 2026 World Cup semi-final clash on Wednesday, live on eSPORTY.
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And with tensions already high, both sets of supporters voiced their displeasure as the respective anthems begun with neither being heard as well due to the opposition vitriol both were greeted with.
“Very interesting watching the national anthem,” Jim Proudfoot began.
“England appeared focussed, Argentina if anything, maybe a little bit overcooked with emotion with tears rolling down the faces of two or three of their players.”
“It’s the most disrespectful I’ve ever known two sets of fans to be so anti each other’s anthems,” Pearce then added on World Cup GameDay Live.
“I fully expected it to be honest to you, it shows venom.
“And there’s a glass ceiling here for England and they’ve got to smash their way through it with a composed mindset.”
England’s semi-final showdown in North America marked the first competitive clash between the pair since the 2002 World Cup.
David Beckham, who appeared to cry during the anthems, scored the only goal of the game, netting from the spot in a 1-0 win.
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The former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder was also booed by Argentina supporters when he appeared on the big screens at the Atlanta Stadium ahead of kick off.
Why are England and Argentina rivals?
England’s rivalry on the pitch with Argentina stems from the 1966 World Cup, as the Three Lions claimed a 1-0 win over the South American powerhouse.
Argentina felt there were unfairly officiated in the narrow defeat, which saw Antonio Rattin shown his marching orders in the first half.
England went on to win the World Cup with a 4-2 win over West Germany, which remains their only international triumph to date.
The South Americans exacted revenge over England at the Azteca Stadium 20 years later as Diego Maradona netted twice in a 2-1 win.
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The pint-sized attacker scored one of the great World Cup goals as he slalomed through the England side before tucking past Peter Shilton.
The strike came after Maradona netted the infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal that gave Argentina the lead on their way to a quarter-final triumph.
This match was four years after the two nations went at war over the Falkland Islands, with Britain reclaiming ownership of the land after Argentina invaded it in 1982.
England and Argentina then met at the 1998 World Cup in France, which finished 2-2 after extra time.
Argentina went on to secure a penalty shootout success, but not before Beckham saw red for kicking out at Diego Simeone.
The most recent competitive showdown between them saw England edge to a 1-0 win over Argentina at the 2002 World Cup, with match-winner Beckham getting his redemption after his red four years earlier.
Who will England or Argentina face in the World Cup final?
The 2026 World Cup final will take place at the New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday.
And the winner of England’s meeting with Argentina will face Spain this weekend.
La Roja booked their place in the summer showpiece event as goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro saw them claim a 2-0 win over France.
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