FIFA has confirmed that Argentina will be investigated for misconduct towards the end of the World Cup final. FIFA’s disciplinary committee has appointed a prosecutor to investigate disciplinary and ethical issues to assess what happened after the final whistle at MetLife Stadium.
If found guilty, the player or coach could face a ban, and the Argentine Football Association (AFA) could also be fined. As Spain began celebrating their World Cup victory after a 1-0 defeat on Sunday, some of the Spanish players and their support staff got into an argument and clashed.
Nahuel Molina, Leandro Paredes, Thiago Almada and assistant coach Roberto Ayala were involved in the incident. FIFA initially said that referee Slavko Vinčić showed Paredes a red card for pushing Spain’s Eric Garcia in the neck.
However, Paredes’ red card was removed from the record shortly afterwards and FIFA confirmed to BBC Sport that no disciplinary action had been taken at the time. Argentina had already lost a player. Enzo Fernandez was sent off after receiving a second yellow card in second-half stoppage time.
FIFA had already begun the process of taking possible disciplinary action against the team for displaying a banner supporting Argentina’s claim to the Falkland Islands after their 2-1 semi-final win over England.
What happened after the World Cup final?
As the final whistle blew in New Jersey, several Argentina players, including Lionel Messi, collapsed on the field. Others stood motionless, while Spain’s players ran around the field in celebration. Rodri, who was substituted in extra time, ran from the dugout to join his teammates.
The incident began when Manchester City midfielder Rodri was seen passing by Argentine defender Molina, who punched him in the arm or stomach. Rodri confronted Molina, but the Argentine player was seen moving forward in an aggressive manner.
When Garcia stepped forward to support his teammate, Paredes also got involved and poked Garcia in the throat with his finger. When substitute Gavi, who was on the bench, tried to calm the situation, Almada threw him to the ground.
Paredes then put his hand in the Spanish player’s mouth and pushed him to the ground. Ayala was seen holding Garcia by the throat. He was later seen striking Spain midfielder Dani Olmo.
“Paredes threw two or three punches in the face. He was attacking them. There’s no justification for it,” Alan Shearer told BBC One.
“We know how important it is for them and how painful it is to lose. But there is a way to accept defeat. We have seen this from Argentina many times. Their reaction after the final whistle was terrible.”
Joe Hart added, “The game is over. They have no right to complain about what happened today. It’s disgusting behavior.”
However, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni, who tried to calm the situation, appeared to downplay the incident in his post-match interview.
He said, “We are generous in victory, we must also be generous in defeat. Today we are showing that we know how to lose.”
“We lost the match and we accept it. But that doesn’t mean we stop living or forget everything we did to get here.”
FIFA’s disciplinary committee has a range of options at its disposal. By appointing a disciplinary and ethics prosecutor, FIFA will examine in detail not only potential violent conduct, but also other crimes.
If a player or national football association is charged and found guilty, the threat of severe punishment will increase. Article 13 of the disciplinary code includes the principles of offensive conduct and fair play.
The actions of players and staff may be considered to be “a breach of fundamental rules of good conduct” and “conduct that brings the game of football and/or FIFA into disrepute”.
The prosecutor for disciplinary and ethical matters will take into account “circumstances both aggravating and mitigating” the accusation and also has the power to impose sanctions globally.
What kind of punishment could Argentina face?
FIFA charged former Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales under this article for kissing Jenny Hermoso on the lips after Spain won the Women’s World Cup.
Rubiales was banned from all football-related activities for three years in 2023 and was unsuccessful in his appeal to have that decision overturned.
Uruguay striker Luis Suarez was banned from all football-related activities for four months for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup.
As a result, he was unable to play in the first nine matches of the Premier League season as a Liverpool player. However, Almada, Ayala, Molina and Paredes are unlikely to face such a long ban.
On the other hand, the AFA has been in trouble several times in recent years with the behavior of its own players.
Even after the 2022 World Cup final, Argentina faced allegations of ‘offensive conduct and breaches of fair play principles’ and ‘misconduct by players and officials’.
The South American team beat France on penalties, but were criticized for their celebration style.
Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez made an obscene gesture with the tournament’s best goalkeeper trophy. He was later seen mocking France star Kylian Mbappe in the dressing room.
Argentina were fined £18,300 and no action was taken against any players. However, Martinez was banned for two matches for “offensive behaviour” in 2024 World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Colombia.
He repeated his infamous celebration using a replica Copa America trophy after a 3-0 win over Chile. Four days later, after a 2-1 loss to Colombia, he hit a cameraman on the pitch with his glove when he approached him.
Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez was forced to apologise for a video he posted after Argentina won the 2024 Copa America. The French Football Federation called the song a ‘racist and discriminatory’ slogan.
The AFA is also likely to face a fine for the banner displayed after the match against England at this World Cup. During the victory celebration, the players held up a cloth that read ‘Las Malvinas son Argentinas’, which means ‘The Falklands are Argentina’ in Bengali.
The AFA was fined £20,000 for displaying a banner with the same message before a friendly match against Slovenia in 2014.
FIFA could also ban the players holding the banner. They are Tottenham’s Cristian Romero, former Tottenham player Giovani Lo Celso and Manchester United’s Lisandro Martinez.
Spain captain Alvaro Morata and teammate Rodri were banned for one match by UEFA for chanting “Gibraltar Spain” during their victory celebrations after beating England 2-1 in the Euro 2024 final.
There is no specific timeframe for how long it will take for FIFA prosecutors to complete their investigation into Argentina’s conduct.
On 18 February, UEFA appointed an ethics and disciplinary inspector to investigate whether Gianluca Prestiani allegedly made racist comments towards Vinicius Junior during Benfica’s 1–0 defeat to Real Madrid.
On April 24, more than two months later, Prestiani was given a six-match ban for homophobic behavior, three of which was suspended for two years.
