Leandro Paredes Faces Landmark Ban from FIFA
Leandro Paredes faces the prospect of becoming the Argentina player hit hardest by FIFA after world football’s governing body formally opened disciplinary proceedings into the ugly scenes that followed the 2026 World Cup final against Spain.
The midfielder sits at the centre of the storm.
Paredes at risk of landmark ban
According to the disciplinary case, Paredes has been hit with three separate charges of aggression. That places him in the most precarious position of any player under scrutiny from FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee.
Under the FIFA Disciplinary Code, any act of aggression against an opponent or any other person who is not a match official brings a minimum suspension of three matches per offence. Do the maths and the theoretical maximum becomes stark: up to nine games on the sidelines.
He is unlikely to reach that ceiling. Based on previous high-profile cases, a ban in the region of five or six matches is viewed as a more realistic outcome. Even that would rank among the toughest individual sanctions to emerge from this World Cup.
For a senior figure in Argentina’s setup, it would be a heavy, public blow.
Molina, Ayala and others drawn in
Paredes is not alone in the dock.
Nahuel Molina is also under investigation after being charged with two acts of aggression — one completed, one attempted. The distinction matters in disciplinary terms, but both fall under the same unforgiving section of the code that governs violent behaviour.
On the bench, assistant coach Roberto Fabián Ayala faces his own aggression charge. If upheld, it could bring a suspension that would remove a key voice from Lionel Scaloni’s technical staff for a significant stretch of competitive fixtures.
The net spreads further still. Thiago Almada has reportedly been charged with unsporting conduct, an offence that carries a minimum one-match ban. Spain midfielder Gavi faces the same allegation, underlining that FIFA’s focus is not limited to one dressing room.
The fallout from those chaotic post-final scenes has become a shared problem for both finalists.
AFA under the spotlight
The case does not stop at individuals. The Argentine Football Association (AFA) itself is now under formal investigation.
FIFA has opened proceedings over a catalogue of alleged offences: discriminatory chants and gestures, failures to comply with match and security protocols, delays to kickoff, inappropriate messages displayed by players and supporters, and the throwing of objects.
If those violations are confirmed, the consequences could be severe. A substantial financial penalty is on the table. So is something more damaging in sporting terms: partial or full stadium closures for future home matches, stripping Argentina of one of its greatest weapons — the intensity of its own crowd.
For a national team that feeds off that atmosphere, the impact would be felt far beyond the balance sheet.
Waiting on FIFA’s verdict
For now, these remain disciplinary proceedings, not verdicts. FIFA has not yet imposed any sporting or financial sanctions on players, staff, or federations.
Both the AFA and the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) will be able to submit evidence and formal responses before the Disciplinary Committee reaches its conclusions. Only after that process will FIFA decide which charges stand — and how heavily to punish one of the most contentious endings to a World Cup final in recent memory.
The football is over. The real damage to Argentina’s future may only just be about to be measured.
