FIFA bans Barredis for 10 matches, Molina for 7 matches, and fines the Argentine Football Association $321,000

Argentine midfielder Leandro Paredes has been suspended for 10 international matches due to his conduct following his national team’s loss to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final, FIFA announced on Friday. Paredes was also fined $90,000. He was among several Argentine players who received suspensions and fines in the wake of incidents during the final match, held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, which ended in a 1-0 defeat for Argentina to “La Roja” after extra time on July 19.

Paredes grabbed Spanish player Eric Garcia by the neck, then threw Gavi to the ground while holding his jersey, escalating the confrontation between players from both teams.

Paredes’ Argentina national team teammate, defender Nahuel Molina, received a seven-match suspension and a $90,000 fine, while his compatriot Thiago Almada and Spanish player Pablo Martín Páez Gavira (“Gavi”) were each suspended for one match and fined $30,000.

The Argentine Football Association (AFA) was also fined $321,000 for violating FIFA’s disciplinary regulations concerning the exploitation of a sporting event for non-sporting demonstrations, team misconduct, and discriminatory chants and gestures by its fans.

Following Argentina’s thrilling 2-1 victory over England in the semi-finals, several members of “La Albiceleste” raised a banner reading “Falkland Islands are Argentine.” Argentine forces invaded these islands, located in the southwest Atlantic Ocean, in 1982, prompting then-British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to dispatch a naval force to retake them.

The Argentine Football Association announced that it would appeal the suspension and fine decisions.