FIFA hands Leandro Paredes 10-match ban after Argentina’s World Cup final clash

Leandro Paredes has been handed a 10-match suspension by FIFA after Argentina’s players were involved in an on-field clash with Spain following their World Cup final defeat.

The FIFA disciplinary panel imposed one of the harshest sanctions in World Cup history on Paredes, who was found to have assaulted Spain’s Eric García and pushed Gavi to the ground during the post-match confrontation.

Argentina defender Nahuel Molina received a seven-match ban, while Thiago Almada was suspended for one match. Paredes and Molina were also fined $90,000 each, while Almada was fined $30,000.

The 10-game suspension effectively rules Paredes out of Argentina duty for around a year, with the FIFA international calendar currently containing 10 Argentina fixtures through June 2027.

Spain’s Gavi was also suspended for one match following the incident. His ban applies to Spain’s Nations League meeting with England at Wembley on September 26.

Argentina coach Roberto Ayala received a three-match suspension and a $30,000 fine.

FIFA also fined the Argentine Football Association (AFA) $110,000 for several incidents during the tournament, including the display of a political banner concerning the Falkland Islands and discriminatory chants by supporters. The AFA was further ordered to spend $100,000 on anti-racism initiatives.

Argentina will also be required to play its next home match in a stadium operating at 50% capacity, while FIFA deferred an additional stadium sanction and $100,000 fine on probation.

The disciplinary action comes after a heated final in East Rutherford, New Jersey, where Spain defeated Argentina after extra time. Ferran Torres scored the decisive goal, while Argentina were reduced to 10 men after Enzo Fernández was sent off.

The AFA has confirmed it intends to challenge the sanctions. The federation said its legal department will request the grounds for FIFA’s decisions before filing appeals with the governing body’s Appeal Committee, while retaining the option of taking the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Paredes’ 10-match suspension equals the length of the ban imposed on Croatia’s Josip Šimunić in 2013. The Argentine midfielder’s punishment also places him among the players to receive the most severe World Cup-related sanctions in recent history.