Spain lifted the trophy on 19 July. Twelve days on, the beaten finalists are the ones still in the news, with FIFA now examining conduct from both the semi-final and the final at MetLife Stadium.
FIFA said on Wednesday it had opened disciplinary proceedings against the Argentine Football Association, three of its players, one member of the coaching staff and a Spain player after events surrounding the final.
Leandro Paredes, the Boca Juniors midfielder who wore the armband in the final, has been charged with three counts of assault.
Atletico Madrid full-back Nahuel Molina faces two assault counts plus one for unsporting behaviour.
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Almada, also at Atletico, is charged with unsporting behaviour. Assistant coach Roberto Ayala faces one assault count. Spain’s Gavi has been charged with unsporting behaviour.
Paredes, Molina and Ayala at the final whistle
A melee broke out the moment Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic ended the final. Paredes struck Spain defender Eric Garcia in the throat with an open hand and knocked him to the ground, according to a report on the FIFA charges.
Molina was seen throwing a punch to Spain captain Rodri’s midsection, and Ayala allegedly punched Dani Olmo.
Under the FIFA Disciplinary Code, an assault charge carries a minimum three-match ban. Unsporting behaviour carries a minimum one-match ban.
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Las Malvinas banner draws separate charge
The other front opened by FIFA concerns the political banner Argentina’s players displayed on the pitch after their 2-1 semi-final win over England in Atlanta.
Lo Celso pulled it open. Romero and Martinez helped stretch it before the television cameras. The message:
“Las Malvinas son Argentinas.”
FIFA charged the AFA under the code’s prohibition on “using a sports event for demonstrations of a non-sporting nature”, the same clause used against Argentina in 2014 when the federation was fined £20,000 for a similar banner before a friendly against Slovenia.
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The AFA also faces charges over discriminatory chants, late kick-offs, security-protocol failures and objects thrown by fans over the course of the tournament.
Romero, Martinez and Lo Celso have not been individually charged. Whether FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee extends sanctions to the three players is one of the open questions of the case.
How likely is a 2030 ban?
An exclusion from the 2030 World Cup, held four years from now across Spain, Portugal and Morocco with three opening matches in South America, is described by observers as extremely unlikely.
Multi-match international bans are the more realistic outcome for the individually charged players, with financial fines and stadium orders the probable ceiling for the AFA.
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FIFA said the respondents will be given the chance to present their positions before the Disciplinary Committee issues a ruling “in due course”. No date has been set.
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