Just over a month after the Football World Cup final, the global governing body of football, FIFA, has handed down bans to three Argentina players besides a Spain player for the ugly scenes witnessed after the final whistle.
Midfielder Leandro Paredes was handed the heaviest fine by FIFA, a 10-match suspension, while defender Nahuel Molina was handed a seven-game ban and Thiago Almada was given a one-game suspension.
Meanwhile, Spain’s Gavi was also sanctioned.
Argentina players, angry at losing their World Cup title, had clashed with their Spanish counterparts at the New York/New Jersey Stadium. The game had also seen Enzo Fernandez picking up a yellow card in extra time after Ferran Torres had scored what turned out to be Spain’s winning goal.
The scuffle had started after the final whistle when Argentina’s Paredes pushed Gavi to the ground while the European side was celebrating their triumph. Paredes faced three assault counts while Molina faced two. Both players were also fined $90,000 each.
According to a report by Reuters, Paredes was facing three counts of assault while teammate Molina was facing two. The duo was fined $90,000 each.
Argentina’s Thiago Almada and Spain’s Gavi faced one count each of unsporting behaviour, while Argentina’s assistant coach Roberto Ayala faced one assault count.
Ayala, who had apologised for his part in the altercation, was banned for three games, and handed a fine of $30,000. Almada and Gavi too have been handed $30,000 fines.
The Argentinian Football Association (AFA) were fined a total of $321,000 for multiple disciplinary breaches during the World Cup, including the display by some players of a banner declaring “Las Malvinas Son Argentinas” (“The Falklands are Argentine”) following their semi-final win over England.
With inputs from The Associated Press and Reuters
