Why did Argentina wear black arm bands in their quarterfinal match against Switzerland?

KANSAS CITY — During Argentina’s 3-1 tense victory over Switzerland in the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday night, one detail stood out against the Albiceleste’s iconic white-and-and-sky-blue jerseys: black armbands wrapped around every player’s and coaches’ sleeve.

If you’re wondering why Lionel Messi and his teammates wore this all black armband, it was reserved as a tribute for Antonio Rattin, the former Argentina captain and Boca Juniors legend who died at 89 years old after a suspected stroke on Saturday.

At the request of the Argentine Football Association, FIFA granted permission for the team to wear the black armbands in his honor.

Rattin, a legendary midfielder, captained Argentina’s fiery 1966 World Cup quarterfinal against England—a rivalry which ironically will be renewed again on Wednesday in Atlanta 60 years later—and was famously sent off in that match by German referee Rudolf Kreitlein after a heated exchange neither man fully understood. Rattin refused to leave the pitch until an interpreter was provided.

“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,” Rattín recalled years later. “I asked for one because the son of a b**** referee was calling everything for them, and the guy threw me out.”

His dramatic protest, which included him not leaving the field of play for 10 minutes until he had to be escorted off by police amid a shower of abuse by English supporters who threw full cans of beer at him, exposed a glaring flaw in soccer’s officiating: there was no universal way to communicate disciplinary decisions across multiple languages.

Reading about the match the next day, Ken Aston, who served as the Chairman of the FIFA Referees’ Committee and the supervisor in charge of all match officials during the 1966 World Cup, created a yellow and red card system with the help of his wife after being inspired by a traffic light.

FIFA responded by creating the yellow and red card system, which was first introduced in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. Over a half a century later, Rattin getting sent off in what is now commonly referred to as “the theft of century” is considered the genesis of the current yellow and red card system still used today.

Rattin later served his country in politics before retiring, but on Saturday night in Kansas City, his legacy was honored by his former team. The black armbands were not just a symbol of grief, they were a reminder to his place in World Cup history and a salute to a man whose defiance forever changed the sport of soccer.

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters