FIFA confirm World Cup decision after Argentina make ‘special request’ for England showdown

FIFA have confirmed that Argentina will wear their navy blue strip against England after receiving a ‘special request’ from the World Cup holders ahead of Wednesday’s semi-final.

Argentina booked their place in the final four of this summer’s spectacle with a 3-1 victory over Switzerland, in which both Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez struck in extra-time to put an absorbing tie to bed.

Lionel Messi and Co have not made life easy for themselves in the knockout stages, having already survived almighty scares versus Cape Verde and Egypt in their two previous contests prior to Saturday’s quarter-final.

Their next opponents, England, overcame Norway to advance through in Thomas Tuchel’s first tournament at the helm, with Jude Bellingham inspiring the Three Lions to a 2-1 win in Miami.

In two days’ time, Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium will stage what will be the sixth clash between the two nations at World Cups. England have come out on top on three of those occasions, most recently in Japan back in 2002.

The rivalry, one steeped in history both on and off the pitch, naturally throws up memories from the teams’ various meetings down the years, perhaps most notably in 1986 when Diego Maradona scored two iconic goals – including the infamous ‘Hand of God’ – to eliminate England.

With so much at stake, Argentina have turned to the past and taken an unconventional approach in an attempt to gain a psychological edge, asking to play in the colour worn by Maradona all those years ago.

According to journalist Gaston Edul, this was a ‘special request’ from the Argentinian camp.

Argentina – who typically play in white and light blue stripes – also donned navy blue when they knocked England out of the 1998 World Cup, the bad-tempered game which saw David Beckham sent off for a petulant kick on Diego Simeone.

FIFA’s official Match Colour Designation release confirms that Argentina have been given the green light to wear their second strip, with the accompanying white shorts and red socks.

The 2022 champions have used their navy blue kit on only one prior occasion at this year’s World Cup, when they defeated Jordan in the group stage.

England, meanwhile, will take to the field in their white strip barring Jordan Pickford, who is set to pull on the same yellow kit that he wore for the side’s quarter-final victory over Norway.

The Three Lions have not locked horns with Argentina since as far back as 2005, when Michael Owen struck twice late to inspire a Sven-Goran Eriksson-led team to victory in an entertaining friendly.

Remarkably, should Messi feature on Wednesday, as expected, it will mark the first time ever that the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner will have faced off against England.

‘The truth is, yes, it is always special to play against the big teams,’ Messi said of Argentina’s eagerly anticipated showdown with England.

‘It never happened to me against England, it’s the first time, so it’s going to be a special match, a World Cup semi-final.

‘Now we’ll rest and prepare for that. We’ve come from a lot of effort, playing a long game and, well, sometimes is shows.’

The legendary 39-year-old forward added: ‘Obviously, everything I saw and remember is from videos and images that Argentinians constantly watch and relive [from 1986]. But I think this group is used to playing football matches regardless of the opponent.

‘Obviously, playing against England is special because they are a powerhouse, and matches against powerhouses are always special.

‘Personally, it’s the first time I’m going to play against them. I’ve played against everyone except England, so it’s going to be nice for that reason too.

‘And to experience it for what it is – a World Cup semi-final against a powerhouse, a great team, and we will try to arrive in the best possible shape to compete again.’

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