Yeah, I think the Quieroz digs were the strangest part of it all as it felt an unnecessary aside.
The comments about a nation being traditionally tough to play against and pushing the rules didn't seem like anything I haven't heard over and over again about nations like Uruguay, Italy, etc. Or a continent like South America.
I thought the reaction to that was over the top, as no one would have batted an eyelid, or treated grumbles as credible, if he'd been generalising negatively - as many do - along the lines of 'typical Italians, Uruguayans, South Americans, Americans, Aussies', etc.