Source: Yahoo Sports
Argentina’s football hierarchy has moved quickly to limit the fallout from one of the ugliest scenes in recent World Cup history, and the governing body has given them the green light. FIFA‘s Disciplinary Committee has approved a request from the Argentine Football Association allowing Leandro Paredes and Nahuel Molina to serve the majority of their suspensions in friendly matches rather than waiting for official fixtures to come around. It is a significant concession, and one that will carry real weight for a squad looking to move past the chaos that followed their final defeat to Spain.
How the brawl led to lengthy suspensions
The trouble arrived in the immediate aftermath of a 1-0 loss that already stung enough on its own. Rather than the customary handshakes, the tunnel area became the scene of shoving, grabbing and open confrontation between players from both camps. Paredes bore the brunt of FIFA’s response, picking up a ten-match ban and a £65,000 fine after he grabbed Eric Garcia by the throat and struck Gavi before pushing him to the ground. Molina’s seven-match suspension stemmed from an altercation with Rodri that appeared to spark the wider melee, while Thiago Almada and Gavi each received single-match bans of their own. Assistant coach Roberto Ayala was also sanctioned as part of what became a lengthy list of disciplinary actions against Argentine staff and players.
For a squad already facing an awkward wait before their next competitive assignment, those numbers looked embarrassing on paper and threatened to keep two important players out of contention for far longer than necessary.
Friendlies offer a quicker route back for Paredes and Molina
This is where the AFA’s negotiation becomes so important. Rather than accept that bans would only count down through competitive matches, the association submitted a formal request asking FIFA to allow sanctions to be served in Class A friendlies or official fixtures, whichever arrives first. FIFA agreed, and the AFA now has a clear incentive to schedule a busy run of exhibition games so both midfielders can see out their suspensions well before anything meaningful is on the line.
Given Argentina’s guaranteed place at the next World Cup as centenary co-hosts, their next competitive outing will not arrive until the 2028 Copa America. That timeline gives the federation ample room to submit dates for friendlies and stand players down for those games instead, effectively neutralising the impact of bans that once looked set to follow the squad into serious competition.
The AFA has stated it remains confident of reducing the punishments further, and is awaiting written reasoning from FIFA before deciding whether to submit an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Separately, Argentina still face a partial stadium closure for two home fixtures after players were pictured with a Falklands banner following their semi-final win, a saga that generated its own headlines and kept the squad firmly in the disciplinary spotlight throughout the tournament’s closing weeks.
