Leandro Paredes Receives 10-Match Ban for World Cup Final Brawl

Leandro Paredes has been hit with a 10‑match ban for his role in the ugly brawl that followed Argentina’s World Cup final defeat to Spain, with teammate Nahuel Molina suspended for seven games, Fifa confirmed on Friday.

The flashpoint came at the final whistle. As Spain’s substitutes sprinted onto the pitch to celebrate their title, Paredes shoved Gavi to the ground, sparking a brief but heated confrontation between players and staff from both sides.

Fifa charged Paredes with three counts of assault and Molina with two. Each Argentina defender and midfielder was also fined US$90,000.

The disciplinary net spread wider. Argentina’s Thiago Almada and Spain’s Gavi were both cited for unsporting behaviour, receiving one-match suspensions. Argentina assistant coach Roberto Ayala, who apologised for his role in the incident, was found guilty of one assault count and handed a three-game ban. Almada, Gavi and Ayala were each fined US$30,000.

Sanctions did not stop at individuals. The Argentine Football Association (AFA) was ordered to pay a total of US$321,000 for several disciplinary breaches during the tournament. That figure includes punishment for players displaying a banner reading “Las Malvinas Son Argentinas” (“The Falklands are Argentine”) after the semi-final victory over England.

Heavy bans, heavy fines, and a World Cup campaign that will now be remembered as much for its fallout as for its football.