FIFA Charges Argentina Football Association and Players Over On-Field Brawls and Banner Controversy

FIFA's disciplinary committee has opened proceedings against the Argentine Football Association, four of its players, and one member of the coaching staff, with three separate assault counts against Leandro Paredes heading the individual filings.

The final breakdown

According to FIFA's Wednesday statement, Paredes faces three counts of alleged assault, Nahuel Molina two counts of the same plus one for unsporting behaviour, and Argentina coach Roberto Ayala one count. Spain midfielder Gavi and Argentina's Thiago Almada are each cited for one count of unsporting behaviour. Enzo Fernandez, dismissed during the match itself, is not named in this batch.

The recorded sequence: Ferran Torres converted in extra time to settle the final on July 19, Spain lifted the trophy at full time, and Argentina players crossed the pitch during the ceremony. FIFA identifies Paredes allegedly grabbing Eric Garcia by the throat before throwing Gavi to the ground, with Molina cited as striking Rodri in the stomach ahead of a wider melee. Three counts against Paredes cluster onto the same episode rather than three separate incidents — a procedural point that shapes how the sanction range is calculated.

The AFA filing

FIFA's charges against the Argentine FA fall under four clusters:

• using a sports event for demonstrations of a non-sporting nature
• team misconduct
• discrimination and racist abuse
• order and security at matches

The filing traces these to "inappropriate messages" by team and supporters across "several" Argentina fixtures and to "throwing of objects by spectators."

The message at the centre is the "Las Malvinas son Argentinas" banner displayed after the win against England in Atlanta. Per match imagery, Giovani Lo Celso and Nicolas Otamendi carried the cloth during on-pitch celebrations; reports place it first in the stands, briefly stowed, then laid flat on the Mercedes-Benz Stadium pitch. FIFA's stadium code and IFAB rules draw the line at political flags, slogans, and symbols inside the venue. The White House publicly defended AFA's right to free expression — two regulatory surfaces, neither wiping the other out.

What to track from here

The committee has published no hearing calendar or sanction range. The working variables:

• Whether FIFA treats the three Paredes counts as bundled or sequential for sanction calculation
• Whether Gavi's identical unsporting behaviour charge carries any reciprocal weight against AFA's team-misconduct filing
• Whether the discrimination and racist abuse cluster is tied to the banner language, the spectator conduct, or both

Separately, the final's referee Vinčić has announced his retirement in the wake of the match. Officials sit outside this disciplinary file.