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ZURICH: FIFA has punished Argentina’s Leandro Paredes with a 10-match suspension for his part in a brawl after the World Cup Final defeat to Spain in New Jersey while teammate Nahuel Molina has been suspended for seven games. A brief scuffle erupted at the final whistle when Argentina midfielder Paredes shoved Spain’s Gavi to the ground as the European champions’ substitutes rushed onto the pitch to celebrate. Paredes faced three assault counts while Molina faced two. Both players were also fined $90,000 each. Argentina’s Thiago Almada and Spain’s Gavi faced one count each of unsporting behaviour, while Argentina’s assistant coach Roberto Ayala faced one assault count. While Almada and Gavi received one-match suspensions, Ayala, who had apologised for his part in the altercation, was banned for three games, with all three fined $30,000. The Argentinian Football Association was fined a total of $321,000 for multiple disciplinary breaches during the World Cup, including the display by some players of a banner declaring “Las Malvinas Son Argentinas” (“The Falklands are Argentinian”) after their semi-final win over England. The AFA was also ordered to play Argentina’s next two home matches with spectators limited to 50% of capacity. FIFA had said using a sports event for demonstrations of a non-sporting nature was a breach of the disciplinary code. The fines were levied for breaches of the disciplinary code including use of a sports event for non-sporting demonstrations, team misconduct, and discriminatory chants and gestures by fans. “The FIFA Disciplinary Committee further determined that $100,000 of the $321,000 must be invested in a plan to combat discrimination,” it said. “The implementation of part of the sanction (one of the two matches and $100,000 of the fine) is suspended, with a probationary period to apply.” The decisions remain subject to appeal and the AFA said its legal department would request the grounds for the rulings from FIFA before filing an appeal. The AFA said it was willing to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, sport’s highest court, as a last resort. FIFA statement: After a thorough assessment of the relevant cases, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has imposed the following sanctions for incidents at different FIFA World Cup 2026™ matches: Argentinian Football Association (AFA): fines amounting to USD 321,000 for breaches of articles 13 paragraph 2 c) (Using a sports event for demonstrations of a non-sporting nature), 14 paragraph 5 (Team misconduct), 15 (Discrimination and racist abuse) in light of discriminatory chants and gestures by its supporters, and 17 (Order and security at matches) of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC). In addition, because of the breach associated with article 15 of the FDC, the AFA has been ordered to play its next two home matches with a limited number of spectators (50%). The FIFA Disciplinary Committee further determined that: Moreover, following the submission of the report by the appointed Disciplinary and Ethics Prosecutor on the incidents that occurred at the FIFA World Cup 2026 final between Spain and Argentina played at New York New Jersey Stadium on 19 July, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has imposed the sanctions detailed below. Leandro Paredes (player): a ten-match suspension and a fine of USD 90,000. Nahuel Molina (player): a seven-match suspension and a fine of USD 90,000. Thiago Almada (player): a one-match suspension and a fine of USD 30,000. Roberto Ayala (team official): a three-match suspension and a fine of USD 30,000. Pablo Martín Páez Gavira (player): a one-match suspension and a fine of USD 30,000. In line with article 69 paragraphs 2 a) and 3 of the FDC, the match suspensions are carried over to the next matches of the relevant representative teams. The parties were notified of the terms of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee’s decisions today. In accordance with the relevant provisions of the FDC, they have ten days to request a motivated decision, which, if requested, will subsequently be published on legal.fifa.com. The decisions remain subject to appeal based on article 61 of the FDC. ###