Months after the World Cup final, the incidents that followed Spain’s 1-0 win over Argentina are still making headlines. FIFA’s Appeals Committee ruled on Friday on the appeal filed by the Argentine Football Association (AFA), partially accepting it: Nahuel Molina’s suspension was reduced, but Leandro Paredes’ ban was left untouched.
In Molina’s case, the right back’s suspension went from seven matches to four, while his fine dropped from 90,000 to 60,000 dollars. The national team has already played three games with him suspended, during the October FIFA window against Bolivia, Benin and Burkina Faso, so he has one match left to serve with Argentina.
Paredes did not get the same treatment. FIFA upheld the 10-match suspension and the 90,000-dollar fine that the Disciplinary Committee had imposed on him in August, after his clash with Spanish players Eric Garcia and Gavi following the final.
Of those ten games, three have been served and the midfielder will be unavailable for Argentina at least until September 2027. In August, FIFA also agreed to the AFA’s request that suspended matches be counted in friendlies and official CONMEBOL games.
Leandro Paredes #5 of Argentina and Eric Garcia #4 of Spain have words after the World Cup 2026 Final. (Getty Images)
The AFA also faces penalties and heads to CAS
The ruling was not only about the players. The Appeals Committee also upheld the fines imposed on the AFA over discriminatory chants heard during the tournament, according to the association’s statement.
Those sanctions came from the Disciplinary Committee’s August decision, which included a 321,000-dollar fine and matches with restricted attendance for Argentina, applied after incidents in the team’s games against Cape Verde, Egypt, Switzerland, England and Spain.
The August decision also reached members of the Argentine delegation: Thiago Almada received a one-match suspension, while staff member Roberto Ayala was given a three-match ban.
The AFA said it will now request the grounds for the decisions and take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), considering that it has sufficient arguments of fact and law to seek a new review. For now, Paredes’ 10-match suspension and the fines remain in force, while Molina is closer to returning, with one game left to serve.
