Argentina’s football association says FIFA also upheld its $321,000 punishment but cut Nahuel Molina’s suspension from 7 matches to 4. The association plans to seek the reasons before applying to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
FIFA has upheld Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes’s 10-match suspension and the $321,000 fine against the Argentina Football Association, while reducing teammate Nahuel Molina’s ban from 7 matches to 4, the association says.
Paredes’s suspension was imposed for his role in clashes on the field after Argentina lost 1–0 to Spain in the July 2026 World Cup final. Paredes’s punishment included a $90,000 fine, which the association says also stands. Molina originally received a fine of the same amount.
After Argentina beat England 2–1 in the semifinal, several Argentina players displayed a banner claiming Argentine sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory. FIFA fined the association $321,000 for disciplinary breaches involving non-sporting demonstrations, team misconduct, and discriminatory chants and gestures by supporters.
As Spain celebrated the final victory, Paredes, Molina, Argentina player Thiago Almada and assistant coach Roberto Ayala appeared to be involved in a fracas, BBC Football said. Paredes appeared to push Spain’s Eric García by the throat; Spain’s unused substitute Gavi tried to intervene and Almada forced him to the ground. FIFA later appointed a disciplinary and ethics prosecutor to assess the incidents before issuing sanctions.
The association says it will ask FIFA for the reasons behind the decisions before applying to the Court of Arbitration for Sport over the punishments against Paredes and the association.
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