Leandro Paredes has refused to apologise for the punches he aimed at Spain's players following the World Cup final, with FIFA having removed the red card from his record.
The Argentina midfielder chose not to say sorry for his actions, instead expressing pride in his team's efforts during the tournament in his first comments after the incident.
Cameras caught Paredes throwing kicks and punches, pushing Eric García to the ground and clashing with Gavi. The scenes disrupted Spain's celebrations.
Nahuel Molina also appeared to spark the brawl by swinging a punch at Manchester City star Rodri.
Reports suggested Paredes had picked up a red card for his part in the chaos, but the card was later wiped from the official record and FIFA took no disciplinary action against him, according to BBC Sport.
His first public statement after the events carried no apology.
Paredes said in his message on Instagram: "Thank you, Argentina! I love you today and always. I write today with a heart heavy with sadness at not being able to give our country the joy it so richly deserves."
He added: "But I write with my head held high and great pride because we gave everything we had and raised our flag at the top once again! Thank you to everyone who was part of this team."
The midfielder continued: "To this group of players who gave their all to represent this shirt, and to fight for it until the final seconds of every match! It has been an honour for me to be part of the best Argentina team in history."
Despite the reports of no red card, FIFA have confirmed they will investigate what happened after the match.
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