Six Argentina players could be banned from next World Cup as FIFA issues response
FIFA has confirmed disciplinary proceedings against six members of the Argentinian national team, meaning that they could be barred from the 2030 World Cup.
The Argentinian side was at the centre of a number of controversies during the course of the tournament, including criticism of their conduct during matches, as well as on the field afterwards.
Argentina ultimately lost out to Spain in the final, with Spain scoring in extra time after a tense match, resulting in a 1-0 victory.
But even after the final whistle further controversy would arrive as a brawl erupted on the pitch after one of the Argentine squad appeared to shove and even throw punches at Spanish players.
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This incident is one at the heart of a FIFA investigation into the conduct of players on the pitch after the final whistle, and could potentially have serious consequence for some members of the squad, SPORTBible reports.
But another earlier in the tournament has also sparked an investigation, when Argentina beat England 2-1 in the semifinals.
After the match players displayed a banner which read 'Las Malvinas son Argentinas', meaning 'the Falklands are Argentine', with FIFA now investigating those involved in relation to its rules around players displaying political symbols.
Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martinez, and Giovani Lo Celso were all seen holding the banner, and are now being investigated in relation to the incident that saw criticism from Falklanders.
A statement from FIFA about the World Cup incident said: The statement said: "The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has opened proceedings against the Argentinian Football Association for potential breaches of article 13 paragraph 2 c) (Using a sports event for demonstrations of a non-sporting nature), article 14 paragraph 5 (Team misconduct), article 15 (Discrimination and racist abuse) and article 17 (Order and security at matches) of the FIFA Disciplinary Code in light of discriminatory chants and gestures, late kick-offs, failure to comply with match and security protocols, the display of inappropriate messages by the team and spectators and the throwing of objects by spectators in relation to several matches of the representative team of Argentina at the FIFA World Cup 2026."
The banner references Argentina's longstanding but unsuccessful claim to the Falkland Islands, which have been governed by Britain for the vast majority of their modern history, and were unoccupied when discovered by Europeans.
Argentina's mililary junta invaded the islands in 1982, with Margaret Thatcher's government sending a naval task force including aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines to retake them.
In 2013, a referendum for Falkland Islanders on whether they wish to remain a British overseas territory or become part of Argentina saw 99.8 percent of respondents voting to remain British.
Meanwhile, after the final final whistle of the 2026 World Cup, images showed Nahuel Molina going after Rodri, captain of the Spanish team.
Meanwhile, Leandro Paredes was observed going for Gavi and Eric Garcia in the post-match fracas, including seizing Garcia by the throat, and even reportedly shoving Gavi to the ground.
Even Roberto Ayala, the assistant manager of Argentina, issued a public apology after striking Dani Olmo in the chaos, insisting that 'it wasn't a punch' and the incident was 'more of a push than anything else', though Olmo told Spanish newspaper Diari de Terrassa that he did not accept the apology.
In a statement FIFA clarified an investigation involving these three, Thiago Almada, as well as Spain's Gavi, saying: "The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has received the report of the appointed Disciplinary and Ethics Prosecutor concerning incidents that occurred during the FIFA World Cup 2026 final (Spain v. Argentina) and, following the recommendation contained therein, has opened disciplinary proceedings – for potential breaches of article 14 paragraph 1 i) of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (assault) – against Argentinian players Nahuel Molina (two counts, one completed and one attempted) and Leandro Paredes (three counts) and Argentinian official Roberto Ayala (one count).
“Disciplinary proceedings have also been opened – for potential breaches of article 14 paragraph 1 b) of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (unsporting behaviour) – against Argentinian players Nahuel Molina (one count) and Thiago Almada (one count) and Spanish player Pablo Martín Páez Gavira (one count).”
Kit Roberts