Rome, 21 Aug. (LaPresse) – FIFA has handed down a heavy penalty to Argentina following the brawl at the end of the final between Messi’s national team and Spain. The Argentine Football Association has been informed of the decisions taken by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, which has imposed suspensions and a series of fines totalling around 275,000 euros in connection with various breaches. Assistant coach Roberto Fabián Ayala has been suspended for three matches and fined $30,000; players Thiago Almada has been suspended for one match (and fined $30,000), Nahuel Molina for seven matches (a fine of $90,000) and Leandro Paredes for ten matches (a fine of $90,000). These are the other sanctions imposed on the AFA by the international federation’s disciplinary body: a fine of 10,000 US dollars for displaying the Falkland Islands flag (use of a sporting event for non-sporting purposes) and a fine of 20,000 US dollars for the inappropriate conduct of spectators; due to racist, homophobic and discriminatory chants and insults directed by Argentine spectators during the matches against Cape Verde, Egypt, Switzerland, England and Spain (breach of Article 15 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code), a fine of $100,000 has been imposed, along with a similar amount suspended for a period of six months; the partial closure of 50 per cent of the stands (primarily those behind the goals) for the next official home match played by the senior men’s national team; a similar sanction will be suspended for a period of one year, provided that no further offence of the same nature and severity is committed; the AFA must, within the next six months, invest the amount of the fine in the implementation and/or development of a comprehensive plan (to be approved by FIFA) to ensure action against discrimination and to prevent repeated incidents; as an alternative to closing 50 per cent of the available seats, the Federation, with FIFA’s approval, may allocate 50 per cent of those closed seats (i.e. 25 per cent of the stadium’s capacity) to community groups and/or specific interest groups (such as families, students and anti-discrimination organisations). The proposed seating plan must include anti-discrimination measures (for example, spectators wearing anti-discrimination T-shirts and/or displaying anti-discrimination banners). Furthermore, due to Argentine supporters throwing objects onto the pitch during the matches against Switzerland and England, the delay in the start of the matches and breaches of FIFA’s security protocol, a further fine of US$91,000 has been imposed; it should be noted that the players’ suspensions must be served during the next official matches in which our senior men’s team takes part. In light of the notifications received and in order to protect the rights of the Association and its players, the AFA’s Legal Department will, in due course, request from FIFA the grounds for the decisions subject to appeal, with a view to lodging an appeal with the Appeals Committee of world football’s governing body, whilst reserving the right to appeal to the CAS as a last resort in the future.
2026 World Cup: FIFA slaps Argentina with heavy sanctions: 10-match ban for Paredes and 7 for Molina
Rome, 21 Aug. (LaPresse) – FIFA has handed down a heavy penalty to Argentina following the brawl at the end of the final between Messi’s national team and Spain. The Argentine Football Association has been informed of the decisions taken by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, which has imposed suspensions and a series of fines totalling around 275,000 euros in connection with various breaches. Assistant coach Roberto Fabián Ayala has been suspended for three matches and fined $30,000; players Thiago Almada has been suspended for one match (and fined $30,000), Nahuel Molina for seven matches (a fine of $90,000) and Leandro Paredes for ten matches (a fine of $90,000). These are the other sanctions imposed on the AFA by the international federation’s disciplinary body: a fine of 10,000 US dollars for displaying the Falkland Islands flag (use of a sporting event for non-sporting purposes) and a fine of 20,000 US dollars for the inappropriate conduct of spectators; due to racist, homophobic and discriminatory chants and insults directed by Argentine spectators during the matches against Cape Verde, Egypt, Switzerland, England and Spain (breach of Article 15 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code), a fine of $100,000 has been imposed, along with a similar amount suspended for a period of six months; the partial closure of 50 per cent of the stands (primarily those behind the goals) for the next official home match played by the senior men’s national team; a similar sanction will be suspended for a period of one year, provided that no further offence of the same nature and severity is committed; the AFA must, within the next six months, invest the amount of the fine in the implementation and/or development of a comprehensive plan (to be approved by FIFA) to ensure action against discrimination and to prevent repeated incidents; as an alternative to closing 50 per cent of the available seats, the Federation, with FIFA’s approval, may allocate 50 per cent of those closed seats (i.e. 25 per cent of the stadium’s capacity) to community groups and/or specific interest groups (such as families, students and anti-discrimination organisations). The proposed seating plan must include anti-discrimination measures (for example, spectators wearing anti-discrimination T-shirts and/or displaying anti-discrimination banners). Furthermore, due to Argentine supporters throwing objects onto the pitch during the matches against Switzerland and England, the delay in the start of the matches and breaches of FIFA’s security protocol, a further fine of US$91,000 has been imposed; it should be noted that the players’ suspensions must be served during the next official matches in which our senior men’s team takes part. In light of the notifications received and in order to protect the rights of the Association and its players, the AFA’s Legal Department will, in due course, request from FIFA the grounds for the decisions subject to appeal, with a view to lodging an appeal with the Appeals Committee of world football’s governing body, whilst reserving the right to appeal to the CAS as a last resort in the future.