FIFA have approved a request to reduce Argentina's punishment for their behaviour at the World Cup final. Midfielder Leandro Paredes received a 10-match ban for his post-match antics, which included kicking out at Eric Garcia and shoving Gavi to the ground as winners Spain celebrated their 1-0 victory after extra-time.
Paredes, 32, was also handed a £66,500 fine. Team-mates Nahuel Molina and Thiago Almada as well as coach Roberto Ayala also received bans and fines. Molina was hit with a seven-match suspension while Almada and Ayala are banned for one and three games respectively.
Bans to be served in friendlies
Initially, their suspensions were set to only count for competitive matches and not friendlies. That posed a problem because Argentina won't play a competitive match until the 2028 Copa America. However, FIFA have approved the Argentine FA's (AFA) request to allow the bans to be served in Class A friendlies.
Argentina currently don't have any fixtures whatsoever scheduled but there's room for six before the end of the year. European teams, for example, will play four matches during the newly merged September and October international break before playing another two games in the November window.
Potential return dates
That means Almada and Ayala could be back in their respective roles by early October. Molina, meanwhile, would have one game left to see off in 2027, likely in March. As for Paredes, he'd have four remaining - potentially two in March and two in June.
But the AFA are still hoping to shorten the length of their bans. The federation was also slapped with a £237,000 fine over multiple incidents at the World Cup and must play their next home match with a stadium at 50 per cent capacity.
Banner and discrimination findings
Argentina's players displayed a banner which read 'The Falklands are Argentine' after beating England 2-1 in the semi-final. The banner saw the AFA found guilty of 'using a sports event for demonstrations of a non-sporting nature'. It was also held responsible for discrimination and racist abuse by Argentina's supporters.
In a statement on Thursday, the AFA said: "The Argentine Football Association (AFA) has formally requested Fifa to allow the sanctions imposed on its players during the 2026 World Cup final, and on the association itself, to be served in Class A friendly matches and/or official matches, whichever comes first."
"Based on the AFA's submission, FIFA's Disciplinary Committee has deemed the request approved in accordance with current regulations. Nevertheless, the AFA, in defence of its rights and those of its players, is awaiting the written justification for the decisions in order to file the corresponding appeals with FIFA’s Appeals Committee, with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) potentially as the final recourse."
