World Cup fans furious over 'disgusting' Argentina behaviour in England clash

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Argentina fans have been branded 'disgusting' after booing England's national anthem before

their World Cup semi-final.

God Save The King was subjected to jeers from those in attendance in Atlanta, sparking social media outrage.

The highly-anticipated semi-final dominated the headlines before a ball had been kicked due to the previous history between the two nations, both on and off the pitch. In the stands, the Argentine supporters made their feelings clear when the national anthem got underway, with Three Lions supporters retaliating with boos of their own when their opponent's anthem was played.

Pre-match the conversation was dominated by the two locking horns again and for the first time since 2002, when David Beckham's penalty was the difference. The historical context of the game overshadowed the preparations

due to the Falklands War in 1982,

with

Argentina

players and staff singing about the island following their quarter-final win over

Switzerland

.

England saw their national anthem go first, which was drowned out and received a negative reception from the Argentine contingent in Atlanta, sparking a flurry of angry reaction from social media users. One user commented: "This (sic) Argentina fans are disgusting singing out loud and booing the England national anthem. Zero respect."

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Another added: "Absolutely disgusting, Argentina fans with no respect for the national anthem. England please thrash them."

A social media user was left angered by the pre-match antics, they wrote: "Argentina fans you are a disgrace this is disgusting."

While another made a bold statement, they said: "Argentina have the most disgusting fans on the planet."

England supporters returned the favour with jeers of their own. The game was deemed "high risk" by the FBI and local figures with the stadium displaying a lack of segregation, allowing the threat of clashes in the stands.

In the lead up to the game, footage was widely shared on social media of supporters in the outskirts of Argentina capital Buenos Aires,

setting alight a Union Jack flag.

It followed on from Argentina players singing about beating England "for the Falklands" after booking their semi-final place last week. However, head coach Lionel Scaloni opted against being drawn into the politics ahead of the game.

He said: "The reality is that this is a football match. I can't mix things up, especially out of respect for what happened so many years ago.

"It was a very sad period in our history, and there isn't much we can do about it, that's the reality.

"It is a football match. There's no getting around that. Things are happening elsewhere in the

world

, and we criticise the existence of war, so for me to start saying this is anything more than a football match... it seems crazy to me.

"We certainly remember those people, of course. But it is a football match, we shouldn't confuse the two."

On the pitch, it was a heated game with the players embroiled in a melee inside just three minutes. Tensions continued to rise throughout the first-half as the two teams failed to be separated.

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