England legend slams ‘most disrespectful anthems ever’ ahead of monster Argentina clash

Stuart Pearce condemned the ‘disrespectful decision by England and Argentina fans to boo each other’s national anthems.

The international rivals lock horns in a highly charged 2026 World Cup semi-final clash on Wednesday, live on talkSPORT.

And with tensions already high, both sets of supporters voiced their displeasure as the respective anthems begun with neither being heard as well due to the opposition vitriol both were greeted with.

“It’s the most disrespectful I’ve ever known two sets of fans to be so anti each other’s anthems,” Pearce said on World Cup GameDay Live.

“And to be fair, I fully expected it to be honest to you, it shows venom.”

England’s semi-final showdown in North America marked the first competitive clash between the pair since the 2002 World Cup.

David Beckham, who appeared to cry during the anthems, scored the only goal of the game, netting from the spot in a 1-0 win.

Rex Shuttershock (Javier Garcia)

This is a developing story and is being updated.

For the latest updates, breaking news alerts, and comprehensive analysis, refresh this page or follow our real-time news coverage by watching and listening to talkSPORT live.

For broader context, explore related coverage on our homepage for the top trending stories. For the latest talkSPORT videos, download the app.

talkSPORT cares about getting it right, not just getting it first and because this is a developing situation, details will change. We will be updating this page constantly with verified info, expert takes, and official statements.

Stay tuned for further developments as this story continues to break.