Leandro Paredes criticizes FIFA suspension

Argentina national team midfielder Leandro Paredes has called the ten-match suspension handed down by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee for the post-World Cup final unrest excessive and unfair. According to Goal.com, the player made these comments to the press following a domestic league match for his current club, Boca Juniors. This is reported by Goal.com reports.

As a reminder, the end of the World Cup final, which Spain won with a decisive goal by Ferran Torres in extra time, descended into chaos and unrest. Leandro Paredes, who was actively involved in the clashes at the center of the pitch, received one of the harshest penalties, resulting in a ten-match ban.

Proportionality of penalties and protests

Paredes believes the committee's decisions are one-sided and highly exaggerated. He called it incomprehensible that Spanish player Gavi, who punched him in the chest, received only a one-match suspension. Gavi had become involved in the unrest while defending his teammate Eric Garcia.

It was not only Paredes who received a heavy penalty for Argentina, but also Nahuel Molina. He was suspended for seven matches for his aggressive actions against Rodri in the final minutes of the game. Such sharp discrepancies have caused serious protests from the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and the players.

AFA actions and fines

The Argentine Football Association is preparing to officially appeal the FIFA decisions. Experts are studying the possibility of filing an appeal to mitigate the sanctions. At the same time, the AFA was fined 275,000 euros for violating disciplinary rules during the tournament.

The most significant of these violations occurred after Argentina's semifinal victory over England. At that time, key players such as Lionel Messi, Cristian Romero, Giovani Lo Celso, and Lisandro Martinez held up banners asserting Argentine sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, sparking widespread public outcry.