Leandro Paredes given 10-match ban over 2026 World Cup final altercations
Leandro Paredes has been banned for 10 matches by FIFA’s disciplinary committee for his involvement in on-field clashes after Argentina’s 1-0 defeat by Spain in the 2026 World Cup final at the New York New Jersey Stadium. The committee also handed team-mate Nahuel Molina a seven-match suspension.
Paredes plays his club football for Argentinian side Boca Juniors. The Argentinian Football Association (AFA) has been fined $321,000 (£235,000) for breaches of the FIFA disciplinary code, described as using a sports event for demonstrations of a non-sporting nature, team misconduct, and discriminatory chants and gestures by its supporters. FIFA appointed a disciplinary and ethics prosecutor last month to examine the incidents that followed the final whistle at the New York New Jersey Stadium, when multiple Argentina players and backroom staff were involved in altercations with Spain players.
FIFA ordered that $100,000 (£73,000) of the AFA fine be invested in a plan to combat discrimination. A further $100,000 (£73,000) of the fine is suspended and subject to a probationary period.
After Argentina beat England 2-1 in the World Cup semi-final, several Argentina players held up a banner claiming Argentine sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory. That action was among the matters examined by FIFA’s disciplinary processes.
As well as their match suspensions, Paredes and Molina will each pay fines of $90,000 (£66,000). Spain midfielder Gavi will serve a one-match suspension and pay a fine of $30,000 (£22,000) for his role in the post-match confrontations, and Argentina’s Thiago Almada has been given the same one-match ban and $30,000 (£22,000) fine.
Roberto Ayala, a member of Argentina’s coaching staff, has been issued a three-match suspension and ordered to pay a fine of $30,000 (£22,000). FIFA’s disciplinary committee imposed these individual punishments alongside the sanctions on the AFA and the stadium-related measures.
Argentina have been ordered to play their next two home matches with 50% capacity, though one match of that sanction is suspended. When the World Cup finishes, the football continues on BBC Sport
