Jude Bellingham could find himself facing disciplinary action after cameras captured what appeared to be a slap on Argentina defender Valentin Barco in the aftermath of England's devastating 2-1 World Cup semi-final defeat on Wednesday.
England were agonisingly close to reaching their first World Cup final since 1966 after Anthony Gordon broke the deadlock in the 55th minute. But Argentina, the defending champions, mounted a remarkable late fightback. Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez levelled proceedings in the 85th minute with a spectacular long-range effort before Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez struck in stoppage time to send Argentina through to face Spain in the final.
As the full-time whistle blew, Argentina's players erupted in celebration while England's squad stood visibly shattered. It was in these raw, emotional moments that Bellingham appeared to lose his composure. Barco, who was an unused substitute during the match, sprinted onto the pitch and celebrated directly in front of the England players.
Footage showed the Real Madrid midfielder approaching the Strasbourg left-back, formerly of Brighton, before appearing to strike him on the back of the head. Barco immediately shoved Bellingham away in response, but the England star was not finished. He proceeded to get in the face of the 21-year-old before Nicolas Otamendi intervened to push him back.
The incident, which went unseen by officials at the time, could now be subject to retrospective investigation, potentially resulting in a ban for Bellingham, who was awarded a 6/10 in Adrian Durham's player ratings for the match.
Bellingham was not the only England player involved in a post-match altercation. Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers had to be restrained by teammates after reacting angrily towards matchwinner Martinez and Argentina's backup goalkeeper Juan Musso. Ivan Toney, James Trafford, and Dean Henderson were among those attempting to restore calm.
Away from the stadium, unsavoury scenes unfolded in New York as fans were spotted scrapping on the streets in the wake of England's crushing elimination.
Questions will now inevitably turn to the future of Thomas Tuchel as England manager. The German holds a contract through to Euro 2028, but a World Cup performance clause in his deal could potentially see him removed from the role.