What sanction can Paredes receive for the fight of the World Cup

The possible sanction against Paredes is now in the hands of FIFA's disciplinary bodies. The Argentine was sent off after confronting several Spanish players at the end of the World Cup final.

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The Argentine midfielder Leandro Paredes was involved in a confrontation at the end of the Spain-Argentina match that ended with his expulsion. The fight began with the celebration of the Spanish players. During the celebration for the 1-0 victory, Paredes first attacked Eric García and then pushed Gavi.

What sanction can Paredes receive for the World Cup fight

The sanction for Leandro Paredes could exceed the automatic punishment associated with his expulsion if FIFA considers that his conduct after the final constitutes a further infraction.

What happened at the end of the final

The incident occurred immediately after the final whistle. Paredes confronted several Spanish players and knocked down Gavi during the scuffle. Earlier, Nahuel Molina hit Rodrigo Hernández in an action that triggered the subsequent brawl.

The Argentine coach, Lionel Scaloni, intervened to reduce the tension. The final had already ended with Argentina at a disadvantage after the expulsion of Enzo Fernández during added time of the second half.

FIFA can impose more than one match

The red card implies an automatic suspension for the next official match subject to the competition regulations. However, the punishment can be extended if the referee's report or the footage captures a more serious conduct.

The decision corresponds to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, the body responsible for applying the sanctions provided in the Disciplinary Code to players, teams, and federations.

To determine the punishment, the description of the referee, the available footage, and the legal qualification of the conduct will be taken into account. An action considered violent may receive a sanction greater than that derived solely from the expulsion.

There is still no official sanction

FIFA has not yet communicated the opening of a specific file nor the number of matches that Paredes could miss. There has also been no resolution from the Disciplinary Committee regarding the fight.

Until there is an official decision, any specific figure regarding the duration of the punishment would be provisional. The organization can confirm the automatic suspension and study separately the events that occurred after the match.

Who is Leandro Paredes

Midfielder for Boca Juniors and world champion with Argentina in 2022, at his 32 years he is one of the players with the most international experience on the Argentine national team.

From Boca promise to defensive midfielder

Leandro Daniel Paredes Benítez was born on June 29, 1994, in San Justo, Buenos Aires province. He trained in the youth categories of Boca Juniors, the club with which he made his professional debut in 2010.

His first steps were as an offensive midfielder. His quality with the ball led to early comparisons with Juan Román Riquelme, one of his references and current president of Boca.

His position changed during his time in Italy. Paredes moved back his area of influence and began to play as a playmaker in front of the defense. From that position, he built his career: good long-range passing, ability to organize the ball's exit, and experience to control the pace of the matches.

His career in Europe

Paredes left Boca in 2014 and developed a good part of his career in Europe. He played for Chievo Verona, Empoli, and Roma before signing with Zenit St. Petersburg.

In January 2019, he arrived at Paris Saint-Germain, where he shared a locker room with Lionel Messi, Neymar, Kylian Mbappé, and Ángel Di María. With the French club, he won several national titles and played in the 2020 Champions League final.

Later, he went through Juventus and returned to Roma. In July 2025, he returned to Boca Juniors, the club where he had started his career, and signed a contract until December 2028.

His return had a strong emotional component. The presentation gathered thousands of fans at La Bombonera, and the player himself described that day as one of the most important of his life.

World Champion with Argentina

Paredes made his debut with the Argentina national team on June 13, 2017, in a friendly match against Singapore. Since then, he has become a regular part of the teams managed by Lionel Scaloni.

He was part of the generation that ended Argentina's long title drought. He won the Copa América in 2021, the Finalissima in 2022, and the World Cup in Qatar held that same year. He also won the Copa América in 2024.

In Qatar, he participated in decisive moments. He scored in the penalty shootouts against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals and against France in the final that made Argentina world champions.

A trusted player for Scaloni

Paredes has alternated between starting and the bench in the national team, but he has maintained a relevant role due to his relationship with Messi and his ability to organize the midfield. Scaloni included him again in the Argentine squad for the 2026 World Cup.

His return to Boca reinforced his options to compete in the tournament. FIFA highlighted before the championship that the midfielder had regained prominence in Argentina and was still part of the plans of the coach.

More key points, information and questions with FREN

AI-GENERATED CONTENT

What is the status of the disciplinary file opened by FIFA after the World Cup fight?

At this moment, I cannot reliably indicate the specific status of the disciplinary file opened by FIFA after the fight at the World Cup, because it is an international sports procedure and the sources I have are focused on politics and institutional current affairs (mainly Spanish), not on the detailed monitoring of disciplinary files of global sports organizations. Furthermore, your question does not specify which World Cup or which fight you are referring to, and in recent years there have been several different incidents investigated by FIFA.

That said, I can clarify why I cannot give you a precise answer and what kind of issues I can address in much more detail, especially in the field of Spanish politics and the institutional and social dimension of cases that intersect with sports.

1. Thematic scope: politics, institutions, and social current affairs

I am specifically designed to work with information related to:

  • Spanish politics (Congress, Senate, central and regional governments, parties, political actors, etc.).
  • Parliamentary and Executive activity: laws, royal decree-laws, Council of Ministers agreements, parliamentary group initiatives, votes, committees, etc.
  • Social and political current affairs: relevant public debates (civil rights, equality, education, health, housing, work, digitalization, environment, etc.) and their reflection in the institutional agenda.
  • Relationship between institutions and other areas: for example, when sports intersect with politics (government interventions, party positions, legal reforms derived from a high-profile case, etc.).

On the other hand, the procedural detail of internal sports disciplinary files (such as those opened by FIFA, UEFA, or professional leagues) is not part of the core information I handle. To know if a specific FIFA file is "in the investigation phase," "resolved," "appealed," etc., you usually have to refer to:

  • Official statements from FIFA itself.
  • Press releases from the involved national federations.
  • Specialized sports coverage (international and national sports press).

2. Ambiguity about "the World Cup fight"

Another additional problem is that the expression "the World Cup fight" can refer to very different incidents:

  • Conflicts between players and coaching staff in a specific match.
  • Altercations between teams and referees at the end of a game.
  • Non-sporting events linked to finals or decisive matches that FIFA sometimes also investigates.

In recent World Cups (men's, women's, youth categories) there have been various episodes that have led to disciplinary files by FIFA. Without a clear reference (men's/women's World Cup, year, involved teams), it is not even possible to identify with certainty the specific case you refer to, much less its current procedural status.

3. What I can provide if the case has political or institutional dimension

If the FIFA disciplinary file you are interested in has had political or institutional repercussions in Spain (for example, government statements, parliamentary initiatives, legislative reform proposals regarding violence in sports, equality, integrity, etc.), that is clearly within my scope:

  • I can explain how the case has been addressed in the Congress or Senate: questions to the government, non-legislative motions, appearances, investigative committees, etc.
  • I can detail which parties have taken positions and how, and what debates have arisen about democratic values, equality, violence, zero tolerance, etc.
  • I can analyze the possible regulatory impact: proposals to change the Sports Law, strengthen sanctioning mechanisms in Spain, or modify equality and rights protection frameworks, if something like that has been proposed.

If you specify to me:

  • Which World Cup you mean (year, men’s/women’s, category)?
  • Which teams or protagonists were involved in the fight?
  • Whether you are mainly interested in the sports field (sanctions, deadlines, FIFA regulations) or the political reaction (Spanish government, parties, public institutions).

I will be able, at least in the political and institutional part, to give you a much more focused answer. But the pure detail of the internal FIFA file (exact hearing dates, disciplinary procedure status, appeals before internal appeal committees) is beyond my specialization.

4. Summary and recommendation

In summary: I do not have specific and updated information on the internal procedural status of the particular disciplinary file you mention, because it is a strictly sports matter at the FIFA level and my scope is politics, institutional activity, and social current affairs, especially in Spain. To know the exact status of the file, the most reliable sources are FIFA and involved federations’ statements, and specialized sports press.

If, as a result of that incident, there have been relevant political debates or decisions (for example in Spain) and you specify the particular case, I can help you reconstruct and analyze the entire institutional and political dimension generated around that episode.

I am referring to the incident between [involved teams] in the [year] World Cup; what political and parliamentary reactions have there been in Spain as a result of that case? Has this World Cup conflict led to any legal reform proposals or changes in sports regulation in Spain? How do FIFA and Spanish authorities usually coordinate when there are serious incidents in matches involving the Spanish national team?

What are the competencies of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee regarding sanctions on players?

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee is a key body in international sports law, but due to the way I am designed, I cannot offer you a detailed, article-by-article analysis of its competencies or the specific regulations applicable to player sanctions. I am an assistant specialized in politics and socio-political current affairs, especially in the Spanish context, and not in sports law or the internal regulation of international sports organizations like FIFA. Still, I can briefly explain why I cannot go deeper into this topic and guide you on the types of questions I can rigorously help with.

Scope and limits of what I can answer

My specialization is focused on politics, institutions, and public regulation, with emphasis on Spain. Specifically, I am oriented to work with:

  • Parliamentary and governmental activity in Spain: debates and votes in the Congress of Deputies and the Senate, legislative initiatives, decree-laws, bill projects and proposals, as well as their processing.
  • Public regulation and legislation: explanation of state laws and regulations, and, when information is available, regional or European norms affecting Spain (for example, transposition of EU directives, major legislative reforms or sectoral regulations).
  • Political and social current affairs: context of government decisions, party agreements, public policies, economic, social or institutional reforms, and their impact on citizens or specific economic sectors.
  • Political and social actors: parties, parliamentary groups, socially relevant organizations in public debate, and their positions regarding certain laws or policies.

FIFA, on the other hand, is a private international entity governed by its own statutes, disciplinary regulations, and internal ethical codes. Although its actions have public and social relevance, the technical detail of its sanctioning competencies (for example, types of infractions, sanction scales, disciplinary procedure, internal appeals, etc.) belongs to the field of private international sports law, which is not part of the core information I handle.

Why I cannot go into FIFA's regulatory detail

To answer precisely a question like yours, it would be necessary to work with the current FIFA Disciplinary Code (and sometimes other internal texts like the Ethical Code), where the following are expressly defined:

  • The exact competencies of the Disciplinary Committee (for example, what decisions it can make, at what stages of the procedure, and regarding what types of persons or organizations).
  • The types of sanctions applicable to players (suspensions, fines, disqualifications, match bans, etc.).
  • The procedure (opening the file, investigation, hearing of the player or club, decision adoption, notification, appeals before the Appeal Committee or, if applicable, the CAS, etc.).

Since I am configured to focus on public norms and processes (laws, state regulations, government decisions, parliamentary initiatives), and not on internal regulations of private associations, I cannot guarantee an updated and reliable analysis of FIFA's disciplinary regime. And by design, I should not "fill in" those gaps with approximate or generic information that could be misleading in a subject that also tends to change with periodic regulatory revisions.

What I can help you with related to sports and sanctions

Although I cannot develop the competencies of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, I can help you with issues that connect sports with politics and public regulation, especially in Spain. For example:

  • Explain the content and evolution of the Sports Law in Spain and its reforms, as well as the competencies of the Higher Sports Council (CSD).
  • Comment on how disciplinary sports aspects are regulated in Spanish state-level federations, when that information is included in public laws or regulations.
  • Analyze political and parliamentary debates on sports topics: professionalization of women's football, limits on sports public limited companies, integrity in competitions, or measures against violence, racism, or homophobia in stadiums.
  • Summarize political and social news where sports play a relevant role, for example, when certain sanctions or sports decisions have had institutional repercussions or have motivated legislative initiatives.

How to obtain the specific information you seek

To know in detail the competencies of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee regarding player sanctions, the safest is to go directly to:

  • The current FIFA Disciplinary Code, usually available on the organization's official website.
  • Comments or guides by sports law specialists analyzing that code and its recent updates.

If you are interested, I can help you interpret, from a political-institutional perspective, how these types of private international norms relate to the sports legislation of states or decisions of public bodies.

How does the Sports Law in Spain regulate the disciplinary regime of sports federations? What role does the Higher Sports Council play in disciplinary conflicts in Spanish football? Have there been recent parliamentary debates in Spain about sanctions for violence or racism in football?

What results did Argentina obtain in the last AFA elections and how is its leadership composed?

Based on the information I have and the type of assistance I provide, I cannot offer you reliable and updated data on the results of the last AFA (Argentine Football Association) elections nor on the detailed composition of its current leadership. My area of specialization is focused on politics and institutional current affairs, but mainly in the Spanish context (Government, General Courts, autonomous communities, main parties, social and economic actors linked to legislative and regulatory processes). The AFA, although a relevant institution, lies outside that thematic and geographic perimeter.

It is important to specify what type of information I am designed to work with rigorously and what type of information, as in this case, is beyond my reach. Although I may have general context about political or institutional systems of other countries, I do not have systematic, exhaustive, or specifically oriented monitoring of internal events of foreign sports federations, such as AFA elections, its governance structure, or the distribution of positions within its executive committee.

Areas where I can help you

My main function is to serve as an assistant for analysis and context on:

  • Spanish national politics: Governments (central and regional), opposition, composition of Congress and Senate, dynamics among parliamentary groups (PSOE, Sumar, PP, Vox, PNV, Bildu, Republican Parliamentary Group, Junts, etc.), and their role in forming majorities and approving laws.
  • Parliamentary and legislative activity in Spain: I can explain in detail how a bill or a proposed law is processed, the steps a royal decree-law follows, what amendments mean, the committee report, the committee opinion, plenary votes, and the Senate's role in processing.
  • Spanish Executive activity: Information on Council of Ministers agreements, approval of draft bills, prior public consultations, hearings and public information, and their subsequent conversion into legislative initiatives or regulatory norms.
  • Monitoring Spanish political and social current affairs: Explaining the context of government decisions, party positioning, reactions of social agents (unions, employers' associations, sectoral associations) and political repercussions of certain measures.
  • Regulatory and socioeconomic framework in Spain: Impact of fiscal, labor, energy, digital, housing, equality reforms, as well as the fit of Spanish regulations with the European framework when that relationship is relevant for national politics.

In all these cases, I can describe both the institutional architecture (who has what competencies, how decisions are made, how institutions relate to each other) and the political dynamics (alliances, blockages, parliamentary negotiation, use of instruments like decree-laws, investigative committees, motions, etc.).

Limits regarding non-political organizations and non-Spanish contexts

When it comes to entities that are not strictly political or are not part of government mechanisms, such as sports federations (including AFA or RFEF), my response capacity is greatly reduced. Although these federations have governing bodies, internal elections, and an important public dimension, their functioning is not integrated into the framework I systematically follow (parliaments, governments, parties, social actors in regulatory processes).

Something similar happens with:

  • Internal processes of private or foreign sports organizations: board elections, internal assembly results, or details of their specific statutes.
  • Very specific and recent results outside the political-institutional scope: for example, detailed data of elections in professional associations, sports clubs, business chambers of other countries, etc.
  • Highly specialized or very recent non-Spanish politics: I can offer general context about political systems of other countries, but not fine monitoring of all internal electoral processes of each foreign organization.

What you can ask me to get the most out of it

If you are interested in the intersection between sports and politics, I could help you, for example, analyze how competencies over sports are articulated in Spain among the Higher Sports Council, the corresponding Ministry, and the autonomous communities, or how certain sports decisions have had political or regulatory repercussions.

I can also help you if you want to:

  • Understand how the leadership of a sports federation in Spain is chosen when the process has institutional relevance (for example, intervention by the CSD or the Government).
  • Compare the governance structure of sports in Spain with general models of other countries, from a political-institutional point of view, not sports.
  • Explore how issues such as Sports Public Limited Companies (SAD), audiovisual rights, or governance of professional leagues are regulated in Spain.

If you reformulate your question towards any of these axes (for example, football governance from a regulatory or political perspective in Spain, or political impact of decisions in the sports field), I will be able to give you a much more detailed and useful answer.

How is sports governance structured in Spain among the Higher Sports Council, the Government, and the autonomous communities? What role does the Spanish Government play in regulating professional football and sports federations? Could you explain how the leadership of the Royal Spanish Football Federation is chosen and what political or public controls exist?

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How much do you know about this topic? Answer the following 3 questions.

Which Argentine player was sent off after the confrontation at the end of the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina?

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What can FIFA do if it considers Paredes' conduct after the final to be an additional offense?

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Which club does Leandro Paredes currently play for after his return in July 2025?

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