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Spain fans directed chants at Gianni Infantino after Nico Williams saw a goal chalked off in extra-time for a ‘soft’ foul on Nicolas Otamendi.
With the score poised at 0-0 in the first-half of extra-time, the Atletico Madrid winner thought he’d won it for the Spaniards when he slotted a side-footed effort under Emi Martinez.
But as Williams wheeled away to celebrate Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic – taking charge of his first World Cup final – blew his whistle to signal a foul.
He deemed that Mikel Merino had trampled on the foot of Otamendi moments before Williams found the back of the net, causing the ex-Man City defender to collapse dramatically to the floor.
It was a decision which was reviewed but ultimately upheld by VAR, sparking fury in the stands at the 80,000-capacity MetLife Stadium.
The thousands of Spaniards who flocked to New Jersey were heard chanting ‘Infantino’, not for the first time on the afternoon, as if to accuse the FIFA President of ‘rigging’ the tournament in Argentina’s favour.
Nico Williams was left bemused after seeing a goal in extra-time of the World Cup final disallowed
It came after Mike Merino was deemed to have trampled on the toes of Nicolas Otamendi
Alan Shearer was one of those who criticised the call to disallow what would have been the game’s opener. The ex-England striker said on the BBC: ‘Was it just the way Mikel Merino went sliding in? That is not a foul for me.
‘The only thing I can see is there is a slight touch of the toes on Nicolas Otamendi’s toe, but not enough for me to give it as a free-kick.
‘Otamendi makes a meal of it and that’s what has won them the free-kick.’
The notion of a rigged World Cup is one which has plagued much of this tournament, with fans questioning whether referees have been biased towards Lionel Messi in what is almost certainly his final major tournament.
The South Americans had struggled on their route to the World Cup final, and only narrowly scraped past Cape Verde, Egypt and Switzerland in their early knockout games.
The manner of those victories – in which Egypt had a goal controversially disallowed and the Swiss saw striker Breel Embolo sent off – resulted in huge backlash and speculation that FIFA are conspiring to help Messi and Argentina win the tournament – an accusation the governing body strenuously deny.
After the Argentinians overcame Switzerland 3-1, ex-Man City defender Manuel Akanji fumed: ‘Every little thing was called against us’ and ‘I’ve never experienced such a one-sided game.’ Manager Murat Yakin called the refereeing ‘incomprehensible’.
While after the Egypt game in Atlanta, which finished 3-2, the Africans’ winger Mostafa Ziko said: ‘This tournament has been fixed’. It came before coach Hossam Hassan fumed: ‘This match was rigged, and the whole world saw it.’
FIFA’s chief refereeing officer Pierluigi Collina responded, stating that ‘nobody can question the integrity’ of the refereeing and ‘unfounded allegations have no place in our sport’.
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