FIFA has imposed severe disciplinary measures against three Argentina players following a series of on-field altercations during last month’s World Cup final in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Midfielder Leandro Paredes received a 10-match suspension for his role in the incident, which involved grabbing Spain’s Eric García by the throat and pushing Gavi to the ground. This sanction, which carries a $90,000 fine, effectively sidelines Paredes from the national team for one year, as the current schedule includes 10 matches through June 2027.
The disciplinary panel also issued a seven-game ban and a $90,000 fine to defender Nahuel Molina, while Thiago Almada was suspended for one match and fined $30,000. Spain’s Gavi was handed a one-game ban, which he will serve during the Nations League match against England at Wembley on September 26. Additionally, Argentina coach Roberto Ayala received a three-game suspension and a $30,000 fine for his involvement in the post-match chaos.
The match, which saw Spain secure a victory after a goal by Ferran Torres in extra time, was marked by high tensions, including the earlier expulsion of Argentina’s Enzo Fernández. FIFA’s ruling ranks among the most significant in tournament history, comparable to the 2014 sanction against Luis Suárez and the 2013 ban given to Croatia’s Josip Šimunić. Beyond individual penalties, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) was fined $110,000 for various infractions, including the display of a political banner regarding the Falkland Islands during the semifinal and discriminatory fan chants. The AFA was further ordered to allocate $100,000 toward anti-racism initiatives.
Argentina has also been ordered to limit capacity at its next home stadium match to 50%, with additional financial sanctions deferred pending probationary periods. In response to the rulings, the AFA announced its intention to challenge the decisions. The federation stated that its legal department will request the formal grounds for the rulings from FIFA to facilitate an appeal process, while maintaining the right to escalate the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) as a final recourse. The report also notes that all of those games could be friendlies with no competitive games currently scheduled. The report also notes that argentina received $34 million in World Cup prize money from FIFA. The report also notes that in 2014, Suárez was banned from all soccer for four months, including for his new club Barcelona, and eight more competition games for Uruguay for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini in a World Cup group stage game in Brazil. The report also notes that šimunić used a megaphone to lead fans chanting a slogan used by the country’s pro-Nazi regime during World War II.
