Argentina enforcer Leandro Paredes could be eyeing a lengthy ban for his actions following the World Cup final defeat to Spain. However, he wouldn't be the first to taint the sport's biggest fixture by being sent off in the championship game.
Chaos after full-time whistle
Chaos engulfed the New York-New Jersey Stadium on Sunday when certain members of Lionel Scaloni's squad sparked a brawl with Spain after the full-time whistle. Paredes was the worst offender of all and was shown a post-game red after he grabbed Eric Garcia's throat and flung Gavi to the floor.
The scenes unfolded a full 20 years after Zinedine Zidane's infamous extra-time headbutt on Marco Materazzi. The only two scorers in the 2006 World Cup final in Berlin collided when France's talisman nutted his Italian counterpart in the chest in the 110th minute.
Zidane's regret and explanation
Italy went on to lift the title after winning on penalties, though Zidane explained he felt compelled to respond in light of some despicable comments from Materazzi: "They were things that are very serious. The words were very personal and they concerned my mother and my sister... They were very hard words. You hear them once and you feel bad. You hear it twice. Then you hear it a third time... I'm a man, and I'm telling you that I would rather have been punched in the face than have heard those words. But I heard them and I reacted."
Zidane took full ownership of his actions and profusely apologised for reacting as he did. He specifically referenced the "millions of kids" watching from home and their teachers, saying he was wrong to put them in a position where the actions of a national hero have to be explained. The Real Madrid icon, who received a three-game ban for his actions but retired anyway, was later quizzed about whether he regretted his attack but stood firm: "I can't regret it, because that would mean he was right to have said what he did."
Materazzi's account
Zidane has since walked back part of his account and told L'Equipe there was no mention of his mother by Materazzi. And the Italian appears to have corroborated the stories after opening up to Italian Football TV in 2023 about what was really said 17 years prior. "You know the NBA? Trashtalking? My trashtalking was nothing," said the former Inter Milan star. "He offered me his shirt [at the end of the game]. I said 'no, I'd prefer your sister.'"
As far as we know from the outside, Spain said nothing on par with that to warrant Argentina's post-match attacks in New Jersey. Paredes became physical with multiple players but at no point looked to appeal to the officials for justice over any apparent comments.
Argentina's disciplinary issues
Instead, it appears the pain of defeat was the lone driving factor behind the Argentinian assault. And that only came after the South Americans put on a thuggish display for 120 minutes, with Enzo Fernandez also sent off at the end of normal time. This was in addition to the hot water Argentina already found themselves in for their Falklands banner protest after beating England in the semis. So while Zidane may have stuck out among France's 2006 team for his ban, Argentina appear set to incur FIFA's wrath on a much more widespread scale.
