Mansion Sports – Argentina national team assistant coach Roberto Ayala has publicly expressed his regret after becoming involved in a physical incident with Spain national team player Dani Olmo.

The incident occurred shortly after Argentina's painful defeat in the World Cup final, when tensions escalated between the two sides during the celebrations in New Jersey.

Roberto Ayala Admits His Regret Over the Incident in New Jersey

After Argentina lost 1-0 to Spain following extra time in the final, Lionel Scaloni's assistant, Roberto Ayala, a former Argentina international with 115 caps and a gold medalist at the 2004 Olympic Games, admitted that pushing Dani Olmo during the post-match chaos was inappropriate behavior.

Speaking to Esports Migdia on Valencia Capital Radio, the former defender made no excuses and acknowledged that he failed to maintain his professionalism amid the heated atmosphere at the end of the tournament.

"Of course I regret it. With the position I hold, I should not allow my feelings, or what I receive from the other side, to change my mood and my actions. I regret it; as far as I am concerned, the matter ends there and is finished."

Ayala also immediately clarified that although footage of the incident appeared aggressive, it was not as serious as portrayed in some reports.

Nevertheless, he remains committed to apologizing directly to the Spain attacking midfielder.

"For me, we have to end this matter and leave it there. It was more of a push than anything else, not a punch as they want to claim, and the matter ends there."

"It was a reaction to something that was said, but nothing more. If I meet him, I will certainly apologize to him in person."

Tensions Escalated During the Closing Moments of the Match

After a major confrontation broke out following the match, triggered by a clash between Gavi and Leandro Paredes that later escalated into an exchange of punches involving Rodri and Nahuel Molina, Ayala attempted to intervene.

The former Valencia defender, who won two La Liga titles, one UEFA Cup, and one UEFA Super Cup, said that his original intention was to calm the escalating tensions, although the intensity of the match ultimately caused him to lose control.

"It is very unfortunate, and someone must take responsibility for the facts and the actions that took place on the pitch. When the match ended, I saw there was a commotion in the middle of the pitch, and we ran to bring our players away so that everything would end there because that is not who we are."

Ayala accepted full responsibility for the incident and acknowledged that a coach must remain composed regardless of the provocation or the intensity of the occasion.

"I take full responsibility for what I did. My intention was to come to separate them, that was my intention, but sometimes you face situations that occur when your heartbeat is extremely high, although that is not an excuse."

"With the position I hold, my behavior should have been different regardless of what I received. Eric García was also there, and I only told Eric that I came solely to separate them and congratulate them, nothing more."

Praising Luis de la Fuente's Spain Team

Although Argentina were defeated after managing only two shots compared to Spain's 20, Ayala acknowledged that Luis de la Fuente's side were the better team.

"They were superior and deserved to become World Cup champions. That is my belief and my intention. As far as I am concerned, the matter ends there; what happened on the pitch stays on the pitch. Spain played better and won the World Cup by playing very beautiful football that many people enjoyed."

However, Ayala also expressed his disappointment with the narrative surrounding the Argentina national team. According to him, there is often a negative tendency directed toward his team.

"This has happened thousands of times, but I do not know why lately, especially toward our national team—I do not know whether it is a campaign or not—there seems to be a kind of 'hostility' hoping that our team does not perform well, that we play a different kind of football."

"That is the football we feel, we play to bring happiness to our people. They look for different things to make everything appear negative toward Argentina. There were thousands of gestures from the Spain players that were not shown, and there should be genuine journalism."

Denying Allegations of Disrespect Toward Spain

One of the biggest criticisms following the final was the image showing the Argentina players apparently turning their backs during the trophy presentation ceremony. Ayala explained that it was a misunderstanding related to the players' families and logistical issues, not an act of disrespect toward Spain.

"We were right there, very close to the Spain players while they were celebrating their victory, waiting for the stage to be prepared so they could receive the trophy."

"Some family members were experiencing problems in the stands, so we went to make sure everything was fine and remained on that side with our people."

"That was our way of thanking them for making such great sacrifices far from home."

"It is true that we had our backs turned to them, but the screen was in front of us, and some of us turned around to watch the moment."

"We watched it, we were there, and that was all. It was absolutely not because of resentment."