FIFA has sanctioned Argentina for ugly scenes after their World Cup final loss to Spain, banning three players, including midfielder Leandro Paredes for 10 matches after he attacked Spain opponents following the defeat.
🚨 OFFICIAL: FIFA suspensions following post Argentina-Spain clash, including 10 games ban for Paredes, 7 for Nahuel Molina and 1 for Pablo Gavi.
🇦🇷 Paredes: 10-game ban + $90,000 fine
🇦🇷 Molina: 7-game ban + $90,000 fine
🇦🇷 Almada: 1-game ban + $30,000 fine
🇦🇷 Ayala: 3-game ban… pic.twitter.com/FP8YWumcc7— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 21, 2026
Paredes grabbed Spain’s Eric García by the throat and shoved Gavi to the ground. Paredes’ punishment is now being compared to the ban FIFA handed Luis Suárez in 2014 for biting Giorgio Chiellini, one of the most severe sanctions in World Cup history.
It Doesn’t End There
Nahuel Molina was handed a seven-game ban and Thiago Almada a one-match suspension. FIFA also fined Paredes and Molina $90,000 each and levied a $30,000 penalty on Almada.
Argentina coach Roberto Ayala was not spared either, drawing his own suspension for trying to swing at Spain’s Dani Olmo.
The ban means Paredes will miss a full year of national team football, with the FIFA international calendar running through 10 games all the way to June 2027.
Per BBC, FIFA disciplinary judges also ordered Argentina to play its next home match with the stadium capped at 50 percent capacity, adding another layer of punishment beyond the individual bans.
But either way, Argentina football federation can appeal the sanctions to FIFA, and then potentially take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
