Paredes appeals 10-match ban citing disparity with Gavi's one-game suspension after World Cup final brawl

Leandro Paredes is appealing the 10-match ban FIFA imposed on him for his involvement in the brawl that broke out after Spain defeated Argentina in the 2026 World Cup final on 19 July in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Argentina midfielder says the sanction is excessive and has formally signalled his intention to seek a reduction.

FIFA sanctioned four Argentina players in the aftermath of the final whistle chaos. Reports from the scene described Paredes grabbing Eric Garcia by the throat before a confrontation with Gavi, during which Paredes appeared to strike the Barcelona midfielder in the face.

Paredes, however, contests that version of events. He claims Gavi punched him in the chest during the melee and argues that the resulting punishments bear no reasonable relationship to one another. Gavi was handed a one-match ban for his role in the incident — a sanction ten times shorter than the one imposed on Paredes.

“He punched me in the chest,” Paredes said of Gavi, according to Barca Blaugranes, adding that he considers his own punishment exaggerated by comparison and intends to appeal in the hope the suspension can be reduced.

Gavi, for his part, acknowledged after the incident that the scenes did not reflect well on the sport, but said at the time that he did not believe Paredes or his Argentina teammates deserved to be suspended.

The core of Paredes’s appeal rests on proportionality: why a player he identifies as the aggressor received a one-game ban while he faces ten. Whether FIFA’s appeals process will result in any reduction to his suspension remains to be seen.