Leandro Paredes Argentina ban has reached 10 international matches after FIFA punished the midfielder for his role in the post-match brawl following Argentina’s World Cup final defeat to Spain. Paredes also got $90,000 in fines and teammate Nahuel Molina was slapped with a seven-match suspension and a $90,000 fine, too.
The punishment is for a World Cup final that Spain had to endure after being beaten by Argentina in the penalty box at the end of the match. The incident was between Paredes and Spain midfielder Gavi and quickly turned into a larger melee of players and personnel. With tensions rising, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni stepped in.
Both Paredes and Molina admitted to the disciplinary committee of FIFA to three and two assault-related incidents, respectively. Both players will miss a lot of Argentina’s upcoming international matches due to the sanctions.
Others were also fined for their role. Gavi was slapped with a one-match suspension and a $30,000 fine for unsporting behaviour, and Argentina midfielder Thiago Almada was given a single-match suspension and the same fine. Argentina assistant coach Roberto Ayala was slapped with a three-match ban and $30,000 fine for assault.
FIFA also extended sanctions on the Argentine Football Association. The AFA faced fines of $321,000 for a series of disciplinary offences that involved the display of a flag with a Falkland Islands theme in relation to Argentina’s semi-final win over England, among other things, and the behaviour of supporters. Restriction on home match attendance for Argentina will also apply to their next few games.
The World Cup final, which Spain won in controversy, also has a disciplinary consequence in the punishment. The AFA is likely to appeal the sanctions via the bulldozed appeals process.
