The Argentine Football Association have turned to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to appeal the sanctions FIFA imposed after the chaos that followed the 2026 World Cup final against Spain. It's a fresh escalation in the dispute over the disciplinary decisions handed down against several national team players and the association itself.
French network "RMC Sport" reported that the AFA confirmed today, Saturday, its intention to lodge an appeal with the sports court in Lausanne, after FIFA's appeal committee upheld the sanctions on midfielder Leandro Paredes and the association.
The crisis traces back to Argentina's 1-0 defeat to Spain after extra time in the final, when quarrels and clashes erupted between the players and members of both technical staffs. Paredes stood at the centre of it all.
He assaulted Spanish defender Eric García, bringing him to the ground and grabbing him by the neck, before clashing with Gavi. Those actions left the Argentine midfielder facing three disciplinary charges, the highest number among the players involved.
In its statement, the AFA vowed to take the necessary legal steps to defend the rights of the player and the association. First it would request the grounds for the decisions, then submit its appeal to CAS, insisting it holds sufficient factual and legal arguments to challenge the sanctions.
FIFA had approved a 10-match ban for Paredes, alongside a 321,000-dollar fine for the AFA over discriminatory chants made by the national team's fans during the final.
Nahuel Molina, by contrast, saw his case go the other way. FIFA's appeal committee cut his sanction from a seven-match ban and a 90,000-dollar fine to a four-match ban and a 60,000-dollar fine.
Paredes and Molina weren't the only ones punished. The measures also hit Thiago Almada and Roberto Ayala, the assistant coach of the Argentine national team.