Leandro Paredes Suspended for 10 Matches Following World Cup Final Altercation
· Telemundo McAllen (KTLM)
Argentine midfielder Leandro Paredes has received a 10-match suspension for assaulting Spanish opponents after losing the World Cup final. The sanction, which includes grabbing Eric García by the neck and pushing Gavi Páez to the ground, ranks among the most severe in World Cup history, alongside FIFA's punishments of Uruguayan forward Luis Suárez in 2014. FIFA announced on Friday that two other Argentine players, defender Nahuel Molina and forward Thiago Almada, were also suspended for incidents following Spain's 1-0 victory in the final. Additionally, Argentina's national team was fined $321,000 for displaying a banner about the Falkland Islands after their 2-1 semifinal win against England. Paredes received the harshest penalty: a 10-match suspension and a $90,000 fine. Molina was suspended for seven matches with a similar fine, while Almada received a one-match suspension and a $30,000 fine. Assistant coach Roberto Ayala was suspended for three matches and fined the same amount. Spanish midfielder Gavi was also suspended for one match and fined $30,000. Paredes' suspension effectively amounts to a year-long expulsion from the national team, as FIFA's schedule includes 10 matches until June 2027, all of which could be friendlies since no official matches are currently scheduled. Gavi will serve his suspension during the Nations League match against England at Wembley on September 26. The Argentine Football Association was fined $110,000 for various incidents during the World Cup, including players displaying a political banner about the Falklands after the victory against England and discriminatory chants from fans. The AFA has been ordered by FIFA to spend $100,000 on anti-racism projects. Argentina received $34 million in World Cup prize money from FIFA. The AFA plans to appeal the decision to FIFA's appeals committee and may eventually take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. In 2014, Suárez was banned from all football activities for four months, including with his new club Barcelona, and received an additional eight-match ban with Uruguay for biting Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini during a World Cup group stage match in Brazil. Paredes' 10-match suspension matches the one imposed on Croatian Josip Simunic in 2013 after a World Cup playoff, where Simunic used a megaphone to lead fans in chants of a slogan used by the country's pro-Nazi regime during World War II. The altercations on the field during last month's final in East Rutherford, New Jersey—classified by FIFA as assault cases—occurred after Argentina lost a tense match to Spain, where they were largely outplayed and created only one scoring opportunity. Spanish forward Ferran Torres scored the only goal in the second period of extra time after Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernández was sent off. FIFA's disciplinary judges also ordered Argentina to play their next home match in a stadium limited to 50% capacity. A second stadium sanction and a $100,000 fine have been postponed during trial periods.
AI summary · Source: Telemundo McAllen (KTLM) →
