Argentina's Paredes banned 10 games for World Cup final brawl

Several Argentina players have received heavy disciplinary sanctions after a brawl that marred the World Cup final in front of a global audience.

FIFA on Friday handed Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes a 10-game suspension, with Nahuel Molina banned for seven games and Thiago Almada for one, the Associated Press reported.

The players will also face fines. Paredes and Molina must each pay $90,000, while Almada was fined $30,000.

The three were sanctioned for assaulting Spain players on the pitch immediately after Argentina's defeat in the final. Paredes drew the stiffest punishment, having grabbed Spain's Eric Garcia by the neck and shoved Gavi to the ground.

The 10-game ban is among the harshest in World Cup history. The AP cited a comparable case: the 2014 Brazil World Cup, when Uruguay striker Luis Suarez bit Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini on the shoulder in what became known as the "nuclear bite" incident.

Suarez, who had bitten opponents twice before in professional play, was banned for eight international matches and barred from all football activity — including with his club Barcelona — for four months.

In 2013, Croatia's Josip Simunic received the same 10-game ban after chanting a Nazi slogan through a megaphone in front of fans following a World Cup qualifying playoff victory.

The suspension effectively rules Paredes out of Argentina's national team for about a year. He will be unable to play in any scheduled international matches through next June, all of which are friendlies.

Argentina assistant coach Roberto Ayala was also sanctioned, receiving a three-game ban and a $30,000 fine.

On the Spain side, Gavi was handed a one-game suspension, ruling him out of Spain's UEFA Nations League match against England next month.

FIFA also sanctioned the Argentine Football Association (AFA), fining it $110,000 for players displaying a politically charged banner related to the Falklands War after Argentina's semifinal victory and for discriminatory chants by fans. The AFA was additionally ordered to contribute $100,000 to FIFA's anti-discrimination program.