New footage shows 'truth' behind Jude Bellingham 'slapping' Argentina player during post-match clash

New footage has emerged around an alleged incident in which Jude Bellingham appeared to slap Valentin Barco.

England lost out to Argentina in the World Cup semifinals, with Argentina advancing to the final against Spain with a 2-1 victory.

The post-match celebrations have already become mired in controversy, with Argentinian players bringing a banner onto the pitch saying 'las Malvinas son Argentinas', which means 'the Falklands are Argentinian'.

The banner could see consequences for the team under FIFA's rules around players displaying political material.

However this has become far from the only post-match controversy after England star Jude Bellingham appeared to slap Valentin Barco after the match came to a close.

Barco had earlier appeared to rush provocatively towards England's players after Argentina's equaliser instead of celebrating with his teammates, and had to be directed away.

Bellingham had been shaking hands with other players after the final whistle confirmed England would not be advancing, before Bellingham appeared to clip Barco in the head, the Mirror reports.

New video of the incident shows Bellingham walking up to Barco, slapping him, and the pair then squaring up and appearing to exchange some harsh words.

Eventually Bellingham and Morgan Rogers needed to be pulled away, with goalkeeper Dean Henderson interceding while other Argentinian players tried to get to Bellingham.

England and Argentina have a longstanding rivalry at the World Cup, and this was the first time in over 20 years that the two teams have met on the pitch.

Previous matches have seen tension as well, such as Argentinian captain Antonio Rattin crumpling up an England flag and sitting on a carpet reserved for Queen Elizabeth II after being sent off in 1966, as well as the notorious 'Hand of God' goal by Diego Maradona in 1986, which was allowed at the time despite being a handball.

😱 ¡EL ENGANCHÓN DE BELLINGHAM CON LOS JUGADORES DE ARGENTINA TRAS EL FINAL!#NuestroMejorMundial #NuestroMejorMundialAS @jfelixdiaz @as_tv pic.twitter.com/9Y8rlgG2TL

— Diario AS (@diarioas) July 15, 2026

England performed well in the first parts of the match, with Anthony Gordon scoring in the 55th minute to take England into the lead.

However, things soured for England in the final minutes of the game as Argentina's Enzo Fernández equalised in the 85th minute.

Finally, Lautaro Martínez took Argentina into the lead in extra time, with the score being 2-1 to Argentina at the final whistle.

England manager Thomas Tuchel has spoken out after the match, saying: “We played one of our better matches, maybe our best match in the circumstances. The team was top, we couldn’t get over the line but no regrets.

“I think we saw the mentality throughout the match and the strong group. We played the matches how they were, we played against strong teams in the group, travelled a lot of miles, played at altitude, we played with 10 men, we played in the heat and we overcame every obstacle.

“We were very close today. It’s not the moment to analyse the full tournament, we just went out because we lost a crucial match.”

The World Cup is now entering the final stage, with both participants of the final now confirmed.

Spain were the first to secure their spot in the final when they defeated France 2-0.

They will face off against Argentina, who won their place in the final after Wednesday's tense game in which they defeated England 2-1.

The final will take place at the MetLife stadium in New York on 19 July.

While they may be out of the running for the final and the coveted trophy, England still have one more game to play in the World Cup as they take on France in the playoff for third place.

LADBible has approached FIFA and the FA for comment.