Categories
Why is Argentina wearing black armbands? Remembering Antonio Rattín
Why is Argentina wearing black armbands? Remembering Antonio Rattín
- Why is Argentina wearing black armbands? Remembering Antonio Rattín
Editor's note: Follow for live updates from Argentina-Switzerland quarterfinal!
KANSAS CITY, MO — Argentina is sporting black armbands in its World Cup quarterfinal match against Switzerland, mourning the loss of a player with an outsized impact on the sport of soccer.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Argentine Football Association requested FIFA for permission to wear the armbands as a gesture of mourning for Antonio Rattin, who died at age 89 after a suspected stroke, according to his family.
That permission was granted, with players able to put the black band around the white sleeves of their primary jersey in Saturday night's final eight matchup.
How did Rattin lead to the implementation of yellow and red cards?
Rattin's largest legacy is a visual symbol of the sport of soccer far more present than an armband.
A Boca Juniors legend who represented only the Buenos Aires club during a 14-year professional career, Rattin inadvertently altered the course of soccer history with his actions in a 1966 World Cup match.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Argentine team felt that officiating at the tournament, conducted on English soil had favored the home team. Ahead of a quarterfinal against England, Rattin and manager Juan Carlos Lorenzo put together a plan if the referee Rudolf Kreitlein seemed to be favoring his fellow Europeans.
"Our manager had told me that if the referee was calling things poorly, I would ask for an interpreter because I was the captain and the rules would back me up," Rattin said in a 2013 interview. "I asked for one because the son of a (expletive) referee was calling everything for them, and the guy threw me out."
Messi’s Argentina and Switzerland collide in a World Cup quarterfinal with a place in the semifinals at stake.See moments from the showdown in Kansas City as the defending champions try to keep their title defense alive against an upstart Swiss side.Above, Lionel Messi #10 of Argentina warms up before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarter Final match between Argentina and Switzerland at Kansas City Stadium on July 11, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri.
(Carl Recine, Getty Images)Granit Xhaka #10 of Switzerland warms up before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarter Final match between Argentina and Switzerland at Kansas City Stadium on July 11, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri.
(Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images)Messi’s Argentina and Switzerland collide in World Cup quarterfinal
Messi’s Argentina and Switzerland collide in World Cup quarterfinal
Messi’s Argentina and Switzerland collide in World Cup quarterfinal
Messi’s Argentina and Switzerland collide in World Cup quarterfinal
Messi’s Argentina and Switzerland collide in World Cup quarterfinal
Rattin then threw something of a temper tantrum, refusing to leave the field because of what he claimed was an inability to understand the German referee - who had sent Rattín off because of something said verbally despite not speaking Spanish.
After finally going off the field, the player sat on a red carpet reserved for the queen and then crumpled a pennant as he left the field, with Rattin claiming the English fans threw chocolates and then cans of beer at him in one of the early boiling points in the now long-running sporting rivalry between England and Argentina.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHow did Rattin affect the Argentina-England rivalry?
After that game, England manager Alf Ramsey infamously labeled the Argentine team "animals" among other insults in a game England won 1-0 on the way to its only World Cup tournament win.
The saga led FIFA to come up with the yellow and red card procedure, a universal system that could not be misinterpreted with the yellow card serving as a warning and the red meaning an immediate sending-off.
The system was in place for the 1970 World Cup in Mexico and remains in place to this day - with the addition of Video Assistant Referees and other technological advances.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAfter his playing career, Rattin entered politics and served as a member of the National Chamber of Deputies from 2001-2005, becoming the first former pro soccer player to belong to the legislative body.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why is Argentina wearing black armbands? Remembering Antonio Rattín