FIFA has opened an investigation into potential disciplinary breaches by the Argentine national team following their defeat against Spain (0-1 after extra time) in the 2026 World Cup final, DPA reports.
After the final whistle of the match in East Rutherford (New Jersey), Argentine midfielder Leandro Paredes appeared to assault members of the Spanish team as they celebrated their victory on the field.
The match commissioner's report was reviewed by FIFA, which has now decided to appoint a disciplinary and ethics prosecutor to investigate potential breaches of the world football governing body's disciplinary code.
The South Americans have once again been criticized for their physical approach, as was the case in their semifinal victory over England, with Enzo Fernandez being sent off after receiving two yellow cards during the final.
'Further details will be communicated by the FIFA disciplinary committee once the prosecutor's report is finalized,' the international federation stated in a release.
According to the Press Association, Paredes was not dismissed during the incidents at the end of Sunday's match, so any suspension or sanction against him would result from a potential retrospective investigation that could be opened by FIFA's disciplinary committee.
It is not yet known if the committee is investigating the Argentine players for displaying a banner proclaiming Argentine sovereignty over the Falkland Islands after England's victory.
This action appears to have been a direct violation of Article 34.3 of the tournament regulations. AFA was fined for the same offense in a friendly match in 2014 against Slovenia, but UEFA has previously taken harsher measures for a similar transgression, imposing one-match bans on Spaniards Rodri and Alvaro Morata after they chanted about Spain's claims to Gibraltar after winning EURO 2024.
At the 2022 World Cup, the English Football Association (FA) was informed by FIFA that striker Harry Kane, the captain of England, would face sporting sanctions, starting with a yellow card, if he wears a 'OneLove' armband in rainbow colors at the tournament in Qatar, a country that criminalizes homosexuality, DPA reminds.