FIFA’s Appeals Committee has partially accepted the Argentine Football Association’s (AFA) appeal against disciplinary sanctions imposed following the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, reducing defender Nahuel Molina’s suspension while upholding the 10-match ban on midfielder Leandro Paredes.
Molina’s suspension has been cut from seven matches to four, while his financial penalty has also been reduced from USD 90,000 to USD 60,000. However, Paredes will continue to serve his 10-match suspension and pay the original fine of USD 90,000.
The punishments stem from incidents following Argentina’s 1-0 defeat to Spain in the World Cup final on July 19. The match, played at the New York New Jersey Stadium, ended with confrontations between players from both sides.
Paredes was involved in a post-match altercation with Spanish players, including Gavi, while Molina was also penalised for his involvement in the incidents.
Following the latest ruling, the AFA said it would seek the detailed reasoning behind the Appeals Committee’s decisions before approaching the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The Argentine football body maintained that it had sufficient factual and legal grounds to challenge the sanctions further.
The FIFA disciplinary action had also included penalties against other members of the Argentine delegation. Midfielder Thiago Almada received a one-match suspension and a USD 30,000 fine, while team official Roberto Ayala was handed a three-match ban and a similar financial penalty.
Spanish midfielder Pablo Martín Páez Gavira, popularly known as Gavi, also received a one-match suspension and a USD 30,000 fine.
Separately, FIFA imposed a USD 321,000 fine on the AFA over multiple disciplinary violations during the tournament. These included discriminatory chants and gestures by supporters, team misconduct, inappropriate demonstrations and breaches of match security protocols.
The Argentine association was also ordered to restrict attendance to 50 per cent capacity for its next two home matches. FIFA directed that USD 100,000 from the total fine be allocated towards an initiative to combat discrimination.
The governing body subsequently suspended part of the penalty, including one of the two home-match restrictions and USD 100,000 of the fine, subject to a probationary period.
