Leandro Paredes will not have to wait for a competitive fixture to start ticking off his 10-match ban. Following a request from the Argentine Football Association (AFA), FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee has agreed that the suspension can be served in Class A international friendlies or official CONMEBOL matches, whichever come first.

The change matters because Argentina’s calendar is thin on competitive fixtures. Under the original ruling, all 10 games would have had to come from CONMEBOL windows, effectively removing Paredes from the national side for close to a year. Nahuel Molina’s seven-match ban, Thiago Almada’s one-game suspension and assistant coach Roberto Ayala’s three-match touchline sanction fall under the same concession.

What the AFA asked for

The AFA had formally requested that friendly and official matches count towards the suspensions “taking into account the national team’s upcoming schedule”, and the request was granted in full by FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee.

Argentina have friendly windows available in September and October, followed by another in November. One home friendly plus two matches in China have already been lined up for the September and October window, meaning Paredes and the rest can begin working through the ban almost immediately.

Read also: Springboks rocked by late Handre Pollard blow before must-win All Blacks rematch

The punishment stems from New Jersey

The sanctions were handed down on 21 August after FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee reviewed the flashpoints from the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium on 19 July, which Spain won 1-0 in extra time through Ferran Torres.

Paredes was found to have grabbed Eric García by the throat and pushed Gavi to the ground after the whistle.

Molina clashed with Rodri, Spain’s captain.

Paredes and Molina were fined $90,000 each, with Almada docked $30,000. AFA received a separate $321,000 penalty tied to a “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” banner players displayed after the semi-final win over England and to discriminatory chants from travelling supporters. Argentina’s next two home matches must be played at 50 per cent capacity.

Read also: Gianni Infantino faces five-year prison threat as UEFA launches extraordinary legal attack

AFA still calls the ban “excessive”

AFA legal advisor Andrés Paton Urich told reporters the sanction targets competitive fixtures the federation considers off limits.

“The sanction applies to competitions like the World Cup qualifiers, and that’s why we want to appeal this sanction, which we consider unfair and excessive,” Urich said.

“We understand that those for Paredes, Molina and Ayala are excessive for what they did, so we will seek to have them mitigated.”

The AFA is waiting for FIFA to publish the written grounds for the rulings before submitting appeals to FIFA’s Appeal Committee, with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) held in reserve as a final step. Urich indicated the federation has 10 days from receiving those grounds to file.

Read also: Gvardiol tells Man City teammates to 'fight for this badge'

Argentina’s next scheduled window opens in September, with the three confirmed friendlies across September and October the first opportunities for Paredes, Molina, Almada and Ayala to move closer to a competitive return.

Read also: Arsenal and Newcastle compete for 20-year-old Strasbourg defender as Chelsea monitor from distance