Leandro Paredes punched Gavi in the face after the World Cup final. FIFA took four months to act on it. The verdict: ten games, $90,000, and a clear message that Argentina's post-match collapse in East Rutherford had consequences.
The FIFA disciplinary committee handed down the full package of punishments on Friday. Beyond Paredes, teammates Nahuel Molina got seven games and $90,000, while Thiago Almada received a one-game ban and a $30,000 fine. Assistant coach Roberto Ayala — who confronted Dani Olmo so aggressively that Olmo publicly refused to accept his apology — is banned from the touchline for three matches.
Gavi, the only Spanish player sanctioned, gets one game and $30,000.
The AFA fine goes deeper than the players
The Argentine Football Association itself was slapped with a $321,000 fine covering violations across multiple matches — not just the final. That figure includes $100,000 ring-fenced specifically for anti-discrimination programs, which tells you something about the nature of the incidents FIFA was investigating. Argentina will also play their next two home games at half capacity, with part of the sanction suspended pending a probationary period.
The charges against the federation are worth reading in full: team misconduct, racist insults, using a sporting event for political demonstrations, and violations of order and safety. That last point connects directly to the controversial banner displayed after Argentina's 2-1 semifinal win over England — players carrying a "Las Malvinas son Argentinas" flag onto the pitch, referencing the 1982 Falklands conflict. FIFA draws a hard line on that kind of messaging, and AFA knew it.
What this actually means on the pitch
A ten-game ban for Paredes is not trivial. He's a first-choice midfielder for both club and country, and missing that stretch of international football — accumulated across qualifying and friendlies — disrupts Argentina's rhythm heading toward the next cycle. Molina's seven-game absence compounds it. These aren't fringe players.
Argentina's disciplinary record is now a live issue for the federation, not a footnote. Half-capacity home games hurt commercially and atmospherically. If they slip up again during the probationary period, the suspended portion of the fine kicks in on top of whatever new sanction follows. That's a financial and reputational liability the AFA cannot afford to ignore.
Both parties have ten days to request a written explanation of the ruling. If granted, that explanation becomes public — meaning there could be more detail to come on exactly what FIFA documented inside that dressing room corridor on July 19.
