Leandro Paredes got hit with a staggering 10-match ban from FIFA, a direct consequence of that insane scuffle after Argentina lost the World Cup final. This isn’t some minor slap on the wrist either; his suspension is right up there with the heaviest in World Cup history, including Luis Suarez’s infamous 2014 biting incident. Paredes wasn’t just standing around. He flat-out grabbed Spain’s Eric Garcia by the throat and then pushed Gavi to the ground. Ten games. That’s effectively a one-year expulsion from the national team, because the FIFA calendar only has ten national team games scheduled through June 2027, and they’re all friendlies for now. Argentina fans are gonna be without one of their key midfielders for a long, long time.
FIFA Drops The Hammer On Argentina’s Players and Coach
The chaos didn’t stop with Paredes, though. Argentina defender Nahuel Molina also copped a seven-game ban and, just like Paredes, got fined a hefty $90,000. Midfielder Thiago Almada received a one-game suspension and a $30,000 fine. It wasn’t just players getting dinged, either. Argentina coach Roberto Ayala was handed a three-game ban and a $30,000 fine for his part in the post-match meltdown. Spain’s Gavi even got caught in the crossfire, getting banned for one game himself, a Nations League match against England at Wembley this September 26. It tells you everything about how out of control that final got in East Rutherford, New Jersey. This wasn’t just a heated moment, these were cases charged by FIFA as assault.
The AFA Is Digging Deep Into Its Pockets
The Argentine Football Association, or AFA, didn’t escape punishment either. They got slapped with a $110,000 fine for a whole list of incidents during the World Cup. Remember that political banner about the Falkland Islands the players carried after beating England in the semifinal? That’s on the list. Discriminatory chants by fans? Yep, that too. FIFA even ordered the AFA to spend an extra $100,000 on anti-racism projects. This is all coming after they pocketed a cool $34 million in World Cup prize money from FIFA, so they’ve got the cash, but it’s a huge hit to their reputation. On top of that, FIFA disciplinary judges ordered Argentina to play their very next home game in a stadium limited to 50% capacity, with a second stadium sanction and another $100,000 fine deferred for probationary periods. That’s a serious consequence for a team that was mostly outplayed and barely created a scoring chance in a final where Spain’s Ferran Torres scored the only goal in extra time after Argentina’s Enzo Fernandez was sent off.
The AFA isn’t taking this lying down. They’ve already said their legal department will be requesting the grounds for these “reviewable rulings” from FIFA to file appeals. Don’t be surprised if this whole thing ends up at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. With Paredes facing a year out and the AFA getting hammered with fines and stadium restrictions, the fallout from that World Cup final is far from over.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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