November 9: Argentina’s 2026 World Cup hangover heads to Lausanne. The Argentine Football Association (AFA) says it intends to take FIFA to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after the governing body rejected appeals against a 10-match ban for midfielder Leandro Paredes and $321,000 in fines imposed on the federation following a series of incidents during the tournament.
FIFA’s Appeals Chamber gave Argentina a concession, reducing Nahuel Molina’s suspension from seven matches to four and reducing his fine to $60,000.
Paredes’ 10-match ban and $90,000 fine remain unchanged after the ugly scenes at the end of Argentina’s 1-0 World Cup final defeat by Spain in New Jersey on July 19.
FIFA’s disciplinary prosecutor had charged Paredes with three alleged acts of aggression during the post-match confrontation, while Molina faced two charges of assault and one count of unsportsmanlike conduct. Thiago Almada and vice-coach Roberto Ayala have also been sanctioned, as well as the Spaniard Gavi.
The AFA said it will now request the written reasoning behind the appeal decisions before taking Paredes’ and the federation’s cases to CAS, insisting it believes there are sufficient factual and legal grounds for a new challenge.
FIFA fined the federation $321,000 for violations that included team misconduct, security failures, discriminatory chants and gestures by supporters and the use of the World Cup for political demonstrations. He also ordered Argentina to play two home matches with attendance limited to 50%, although one of those restrictions and $100,000 of the fine were suspended subject to a probationary period. An additional $100,000 must be invested in an anti-discrimination program.
Among the incidents scrutinized was Argentina’s semi-final win over England, after which players displayed a banner reading “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” (The Falklands are Argentine), a reference to the Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory also claimed by Argentina. FIFA rules prohibit political demonstrations at its events.
The disciplinary case also included objects thrown by Argentina fans, delayed kick-offs and breaches of FIFA match and security protocols during the tournament.
Argentina has already managed to get FIFA to allow player suspensions to be served in official matches or Class A friendlies, whichever comes first.
The remaining fight is now over how much of the original punishment survives. FIFA has maintained its line on Paredes and the AFA. Argentina’s next request is to the CAS.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at (email protected)