Argentina confirm CAS appeal after FIFA uphold Leandro Paredes' 10-match ban and $321,000 fine over World Cup final chaos

Argentina will take their fight against FIFA's World Cup final sanctions to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after the governing body's appeals committee upheld Leandro Paredes' 10-match ban and a $321,000 fine on the national federation. Nahuel Molina did see his suspension reduced, but the federation insist they have the arguments to overturn the remaining punishments.

The Argentine Football Association (AFA) announced on Saturday that they will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the sanctions handed out by FIFA following the ugly scenes at the end of the 2026 World Cup final. Almost four months after Spain beat Argentina 1-0 after extra time in East Rutherford, the case is far from closed.

Several Argentina players and staff members turned on their Spanish counterparts at the final whistle, with Paredes at the centre of the trouble. The midfielder threw Eric Garcia to the ground and grabbed him by the throat, before flooring Gavi.

Paredes faced three charges, the most of any player involved, while proceedings were also opened against Molina, Thiago Almada, assistant coach Roberto Ayala and Spain's Gavi. In a statement, the AFA confirmed they had received the decisions of FIFA's appeals committee, which they had challenged, and that Paredes' 10-match suspension had been upheld.

The committee also stood by the $321,000 fine imposed on the federation over discriminatory chants from Argentina supporters, leaving the AFA ready to take the fight to the Lausanne-based court.

Setting out their next move, the AFA said: "The next steps, aimed at defending the rights of the player and the AFA, will be to request the grounds for the decisions and then to take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for a fresh review, as the Association believes it has sufficient factual and legal arguments to justify this appeal."

There was some relief for Molina, however, as the appeals committee ordered a reduction in his punishment, cutting his seven-match ban to four games and lowering his fine to $60,000.

Molina has already served three of those games, sitting out Argentina's October friendlies against Bolivia, Burkina Faso and Benin, so he has just one left.

Paredes faces a far longer wait, with the AFA needing FIFA's written reasons before they can lodge their case in Lausanne.