World Cup: What has FIFA charged Argentina with, what could punishment be?

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Spain’s 1-0 victory, after extra time, did not tell the story of what was a dominant display that barely gave the Argentinians a sight of goal – let alone a shot. What followed the final whistle, however, turned a poor performance into a pitiful and pathetic showing from one of the world’s greatest football nations. The tussle, led by Argentinian players, was the latest in a series of dubious decisions and actions that left the defending champions facing questions about their conduct throughout the tournament. Now FIFA, football’s global governing body, has issued charges against the South Americans and their fans. Al Jazeera Sport explores what those charges are and what they could mean for the team who celebrated victory at Qatar 2022. There are numerous charges against Argentina and its football association, the AFA, that relate to the final, the semifinal and the conduct of the players and fans across the tournament. Two Argentina players face disciplinary charges, while the AFA has been charged for a political banner displayed by the players. Also included on the list of disciplinary cases opened by FIFA against Argentina on Wednesday are “discriminatory chants and gestures” by fans, alleged assault by an assistant coach and “throwing of objects by spectators in relation to several matches” at the World Cup. The image that will be associated with Argentinian football at World Cup 2026 is the brawl that followed the final against Spain. As the Spanish squad and coaches rushed onto the pitch at the full-time whistle to celebrate with the on-field players, Argentina’s Leandro Paredes was seen lashing out at Spain’s Gavi. The midfielder now faces three charges of assault, while his teammate Nahuel Molina faces two charges and assistant coach Roberto Ayala one, all under the charge of the same offence as Paredes. Gavi was thrown to the ground in the incident, while other Spanish players rushed to defend him. The midfielder has been charged with unsporting behaviour for his part in the melee that followed, as have Molina and Thiago Almada. Following Argentina’s semifinal win against England, several players were seen with a banner that read: “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” — “The Malvinas are Argentine”. The slogan relates to the Falkland Islands, which Argentina refers to as Islas Malvinas. The South American nation, under orders from Argentina’s then-military dictatorship, invaded the Falklands in 1982, triggering a 10-week war won by Britain. The formal charge handed to the AFA on Wednesday was “using a sports event for demonstrations of a non-sporting nature”. The action violated FIFA rules that ban political protests and displays, and British government officials urged FIFA to investigate. Although the image of the brawl at the end of the final will long be associated with Argentina, the numerous allegations of racism against the country as a whole will haunt the South Americans. Hollywood actor Samuel L Jackson was among the prominent voices that spoke out on the subject, with the 77-year-old American urging Black people in an Instagram story not to support Argentina, which he dubbed one of “the most racist countries in the world”. During the tournament, FIFA condemned racism in a statement after an Argentinian supporter told a Black US influencer, known as IShowSpeed, who later performed at the World Cup final, to go “cry at the zoo” during a livestream. FIFA has subsequently issued disciplinary charges against the AFA for “discriminatory chants and gestures” by fans. Charges have also been listed against Argentina for the “throwing of objects by spectators in relation to several matches”. Possible sanctions against individual players if the assault allegations are upheld include Paredes receiving a multi-match suspension and potentially an extended ban if FIFA concludes there were multiple acts of violent conduct. Nahuel Molina could also receive a suspension, albeit unlikely to be as heavy as that possibly faced by Paredes, while Ayala could face a touchline ban or suspension from the stadiums for a certain number of matches. Almada and Gavi’s charges are likely to result in shorter suspensions or warnings if found guilty of unsporting conduct rather than violent conduct. The list of options available to FIFA in sanctioning the AFA is extensive, including a substantial financial fine, a formal warning or reprimand and an order to improve crowd control and match organisation. International teams have been forced to play matches behind closed doors or face limits on supporter attendance at FIFA competitions in the past. This is, of course, an option to FIFA, but it is extremely unlikely. Should the charges relate directly to Argentina and their fans, as opposed to the charges against their players and coach, then any repeat offences in continental competitions or at future World Cups could thereafter carry the threat of suspension from competing at those levels. The best example of a nation being suspended from competitions came in the 1980s and 90s when English football was hit with a domestic suspension from European football. The ban related to numerous examples of crowd trouble involving English club fans both domestically and on the continent during European competition. The English national team was also plagued by crowd trouble at the time, but there were no international sanctions that resulted in a ban from the World Cup or the European Championship. 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