Argentina's Leandro Paredes slapped with long ban by FIFA after World Cup final fights

Leandro Paredes received a 10-match international ban for his part in post-match brawls following the World Cup final defeat to Spain.

Midfielder Leandro Paredes and several Argentina teammates have received bans and fines for their part in clashes with Spain players at the World Cup final, FIFA said on Friday.

In the strongest punishment handed down by world football's governing body, Paredes was banned for 10 international games and fined $90,000 (about R1.62 million).

He grabbed Eric Garcia by the throat and wrestled Spain's Gavi to the ground while holding his substitute's bib, which led to an escalation in the incidents on the field after the final that Spain won 1–0 at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19.

Paredes' teammate Nahuel Molina received a seven-match ban and must also pay a fine of $90,000 (about R1.62m), while Thiago Almada was suspended for one match and fined $30,000 (about R540,000).

Roberto Ayala, a member of Argentina's coaching team, was given a three-match suspension and a fine of $30,000 (about R540,000).

Gavi was banned for a match and also fined $30,000 (about R540,000) for his role in the fracas that erupted after holders Argentina were defeated thanks to Ferran Torres' goal in extra time.

Argentina have also been ordered to play their next two home matches with capacity reduced to 50 per cent, though one match of that sanction is suspended.

Additionally, the Argentinian Football Association (AFA) has been fined $321,000 (about R5.78m) for breaches of FIFA's disciplinary code relating to using a sports event for making demonstrations of a non-sporting nature, team misconduct, and discriminatory chants and gestures by its supporters.

After Lionel Messi's Argentina beat England 2–1 in a tense World Cup semi-final, several Argentina players held up a banner saying: "The Falklands are Argentine".

Argentine forces invaded the British overseas territory in the southwest Atlantic Ocean in 1982, which resulted in then-British prime minister Margaret Thatcher sending a naval task force to reclaim them.

The resulting conflict, which lasted for 74 days from April to June 1982, led to the deaths of 655 Argentine and 255 British servicemen. Three people from the islands also died.

The AFA said in a statement it would "request from FIFA the grounds for the rulings that are subject to review in order to file appeals before the Appeals Committee".

FIFA had appointed a disciplinary and ethics prosecutor to examine the incidents after the final whistle.