Buenos aires: The Argentine Football Association (AFA) confirmed on Thursday that FIFA had approved its request to change how several national team players will serve the sanctions handed down for events at the 2026 World Cup final against Spain.
According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, the AFA explained in an official statement that it had requested FIFA to allow the punishments imposed on its players, and on the Association itself, to be served during Category "A" friendlies and/or official matches under the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL), whichever occurs first. FIFA agreed to this request.
FIFA had initially suspended Leandro Paredes for 10 matches, Nahuel Molina for 7, and Thiago Almada for one match, while technical staff member Roberto Ayala received a 3-match ban, all due to the incidents following the final, which Spain won 1-0 last July. Argentina plans to contest these sanctions further. The sanctions also included financial fines and restrictions on crowd attendance at the national team's home matches, and the AFA has indicated its intention to appeal all aspects.
The Association stated, "The Argentine Football Association, in defense of its rights and the rights of its players, is awaiting the grounds of the decisions in order to submit the appropriate appeals before FIFA's Appeal Committee, while considering the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS) a possible last resort."
Speaking to "DSports" radio last Friday, the AFA's legal counsel Andr©s Pat³n Uriz had already outlined the strategy: "We consider the sanctions to be excessive, and we will seek to reduce them," as reported by Spanish radio station "COPE".
FIFA also imposed a fine of 321,000 dollars on the Argentine Football Association under various articles of the disciplinary code, addressing incidents during the national team's matches against Cape Verde, Egypt, Switzerland, England, and Spain at the World Cup. As a result of the sanctions, Argentina will play their next two home matches with a 50% reduction in crowd attendance.