Heavy sanctions loom over Argentine players after ugly brawl following final whistle in World Cup final

FIFA has opened an investigation into the ugly post-match brawl between Argentine and Spanish players, leading to chaos on the pitch. Seconds after the referee blew the final whistle, with Spain standing tall against the defending champions, disturbing scenes broke out as several Argentine players began throwing punches and pushing the Spanish players in frustration, with heavy sanctions looming over them. Among those likely to face punishments are Argentina’s fullback Nahuel Molina, midfielder Leandro Paredes and assistant coach Roberto Ayala.

Spain won their second World Cup title by beating Argentina in extra time on Sunday in New Jersey, thanks to a Ferran Torres strike in the 106th minute. While Spain played the best football for a team in a World Cup, Argentina, on the other hand, played the worst – failing to register a single shot on target throughout regulation time. Spain kept possession, had the higher ball control percentage and never allowed Argentina’s ageing squad to find a gap or a loophole for an attack. Such was Spain’s performance that even Argentina’s best player and captain, Lionel Messi, failed to leave a mark in what is assumed to be his final World Cup match.

Evidently, the frustration piled up for Argentine players, who turned Spain’s jubilation into an ugly spectacle by throwing punches and insults at their Spanish counterparts. While Messi stood alone soaking in this moment of despair, his teammate Molina apparently punched Spain captain Rodri. The Manchester City star stopped to confront the fullback, who, soon after, squared up to the Ballon d’Or winner and bumped him in the chest, triggering wild scenes at the MetLife Stadium.

On the other hand, Paredes, who was shown a yellow card earlier during the game and seemed to have escaped another one, punched the Spanish defender Eric García in his throat before Argentina’s manager Lionel Scaloni rushed to the scene to separate the two.

The midfielder, however, did not stop there. Seconds later, he released his frustration on Gavi by throwing the midfielder to the ground and later shoving him in the face. Paredes then grabbed another player’s bibs to make things worse. Argentina coach Roberto Ayala also added fuel to the fire by hitting Dani Olmo in the throat.

WATCH VIDEO -

Meanwhile, Paredes was reportedly shown a red card for his wild reaction to the World Cup final loss, which could lead to a lengthy ban due to the nature of his sending off. On the other hand, Enzo Fernandez, who was sent off for two yellow cards, is now facing disciplinary action.
FIFA has now launched an investigation into the unsavoury scenes and could punish Argentina’s FA for failing to keep its players in check.