Argentina's Valentin Barco clashing with other England player before Jude Bellingham slap

New, untelevised footage might just explain why Jude Bellingham lashed out at Argentina substitute Valentin Barco after England's World Cup semi-final loss to Lionel Scaloni's side.

England suffered heartbreak in Atlanta after going 1-0 up through Anthony Gordon, after Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez struck late on following a defensive retreat from the Three Lions.

Thomas Tuchel's side missed out on a first appearance in the World Cup final since the triumph in 1966 and tempers flared after the final whistle, with England star Bellingham particularly frustrated.

Cameras spotted the Real Madrid star slapping Barco on the back of the head, prompting a spat involving both sets of players.

Former Manchester City defender Nicolas Otamendi was straight in and Morgan Rogers backed up his teammate, while England goalkeepers James Trafford and Dean Henderson tried to keep the peace.

Footage from the stands showed that former Brighton player Barco had said something in earshot of Bellingham when he joined in on Argentina's celebrations, leading to the physicality seconds after.

Bellingham had confrontations with Leandro Paredes and Lionel Messi in the clash at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium and Cristian Romero also celebrated in his face.

READ MORE: Marc Guehi calls out Thomas Tuchel's tactics in brutally honest interview after Argentina defeat

But his decision to go after Barco, a player whose only involvement in the tournament was a cameo against Jordan, does appear to have added context.

That's because Barco was involved in a clash with another England player prior to being whacked by Bellingham.

Footage uploaded on social media by the BBC but not included in the channel's broadcast showed Barco sprinting onto the pitch when Fernandez slotted home past Jordan Pickford after a pass from Lionel Messi.

But while the majority of the substitutes ran over to celebrate with Fernandez, Barco, wearing a bib over his shirt, made a bee-line for the England players.

Multiple camera angles showed him fist pumping and jumping in the air right in front of Nico O'Reilly,

Valentin Barco ran onto the pitch to celebrate after Enzo Fernandez scored against England 👀 pic.twitter.com/gMYYZn7LxL

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 16, 2026

John Stones took issue with Barco's antics, shoving him away as he ran off. Barco, who plays his club football with Chelsea partner club Strasbourg, was then spoken to by Ismail Elfath,

Argentina could face FIFA sanction for post-match antics

The controversy did not end there as Argentina players were spotted dancing with a banner which referenced the Falklands war in 1982, which claimed the lives of 907 people.

Lisandro Martinez, Cristian Romero and Giovani Lo Celso were among those to carry the banner on the pitch, which read, 'Las Malvinas Son Argentinas' - translated to "The Falkland Islands are Argentine'.

The banner was displayed despite manager Lionel Scaloni calling for politics to be left out of the fixture.

That did not happen though as the banner was passed onto the players from fans in the stands, leading to business secretary Peter Kyle stating that "FIFA should be looking into this".

In 2014, received a £20,000 fine and an official warning from FIFA after their players posed with a near-identical banner prior to a World Cup warm-up game against Slovenia.

Outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer supported calls for FIFA to investigation and re-iterated that the Falklands belongs to the UK.

Starmer said: “The World Cup might not be ours, but the Falkland Islands definitely are. Our position is unchanged. Self-determination rests with the islanders and our commitment to the Falklands will never waver.

“More broadly, potential action is a matter for Fifa, but it’s been a fantastic World Cup and we’ve said throughout that politics should stay out of football.”