Argentina had already lost the World Cup when things boiled over. Spain had the trophy, Rodri had the Golden Ball, Ferran Torres had scored the only goal of the final, and Argentina just needed to get through the medal ceremony and head home from New Jersey.

Instead, a few minutes of frustration turned into a full-blown confrontation. Leandro Paredes grabbed Eric García by the throat, players from both teams got involved, and the final took an ugly turn long after the result was settled.

Now Argentina's paying for it. Paredes has been suspended for 10 international matches, Nahuel Molina for seven, and Thiago Almada for one. Assistant coach Roberto Ayala will also be forced to miss three games. And to top it all off, the Argentine Football Association has been hit with fines and stadium restrictions tied to problems that went beyond the final.

One Bad Finish Became A Full Investigation

There had already been plenty of frustration building before anyone started throwing hands. Argentina had been mostly outplayed, Enzo Fernández was sent off late in regulation and Torres finally broke the deadlock in the 106th minute. Lionel Scaloni's team had spent most of the night hanging around thanks to Emiliano Martínez's saves and a whole lot of stubbornness. Spain eventually found the goal Argentina couldn't.

Then Spain's substitutes ran onto the field to celebrate, and whatever composure Argentina had left disappeared.

Paredes went after García and appeared to grab him by the throat. When Gavi stepped in, Paredes knocked him to the ground. Photos also showed the Argentina midfielder kicking toward García while officials tried to pull everyone apart. Molina appeared to hit Spain captain Rodri in the stomach as he ran into the celebration, then got involved with him again. Ayala confronted Dani Olmo. Almada and Gavi got dragged into the mess too.

FIFA didn't treat it as one big, generic postgame scuffle. Paredes faced three assault charges. Molina faced two assault charges — one completed and one attempted — along with an unsporting-behavior charge. Ayala faced an assault charge too.

Paredes got the harshest punishment: a 10-match suspension and a $90,000 fine. Molina received a seven-match ban and the same fine. Almada and Gavi were each suspended for one game and fined $30,000, while Ayala got a three-match ban and another $30,000 fine.

Ayala had already apologized publicly, though even that apology came with a little bit of explaining. He said it was a shove, not the punch others had described, and blamed his reaction on something Olmo said. He did end up admitting that, as a member of the coaching staff, he should've shown more control. At least he took some responsibility. It just didn't keep FIFA from punishing him for literal assault.

Scaloni and several Argentina players were trying to calm things down, which is worth remembering before painting the entire team with the same brush. This wasn't every player in an Argentina shirt deciding to start a fight.

Still, enough players and staff members crossed the line for FIFA to punish four separate people. And the scene looked even worse when Argentina's players stood with their backs turned toward their supporters as Spain lifted the trophy — especially after Spain had given Argentina a guard of honor during their medal ceremony.

Ten Games Is A Lot Longer Than It Sounds

The AFA is planning to appeal. First, its legal team wants FIFA to explain exactly how it reached these decisions. Then the federation can take the case to FIFA's appeal committee, and it hasn't ruled out going to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after that.

For now, the main goal is pretty obvious: get the bans for Paredes and Molina cut down.

That makes sense. A $90,000 fine is a lot of money, sure, but it doesn't hurt nearly as much as losing a player for almost a year.

If the ruling stands, Paredes could miss all 10 of Argentina's national-team games through June 2027. There's a catch, though: Argentina doesn't currently have any competitive matches scheduled during that stretch, so those games could all be friendlies. That's obviously not the same as missing 10 World Cup qualifiers or a Copa América.

But it still matters.

Paredes played in seven matches at this World Cup, started four, and logged 412 minutes. He started the semifinal against England before dropping to the bench for the final. At 32, he's also one of the older players Argentina has to decide whether to keep building around for the next cycle. A 10-game suspension won't make that decision for Scaloni, but it does mean Argentina will have to spend a long time figuring out how to play without him.

Those friendlies were supposed to be the easygoing part of the transition. They'd give Argentina a chance to test new players, try different combinations, and start figuring out what comes after this generation. Instead, Paredes won't be there for most, if not all, of it.

Other midfielders will get his minutes. They'll train with the team and build chemistry. That might make it harder for Paredes to just walk back in and seamlessly jump into his old role. By the time he's eligible again, Argentina could have a different midfield waiting for him — and Paredes will be 33, trying to find his way back into it.

Molina's absence creates a similar problem at right back, even if he's only 28 and is much more likely to be a part of Argentina's long-term plans. He played in seven matches at the World Cup, started five, and logged 500 minutes. Gonzalo Montiel got the start in the final, but Molina had started the previous four knockout games. Seven matches is plenty of time for a position battle to change, especially when one player isn't around to defend his spot.

That's why the appeal matters for more than just cutting a few friendlies off the suspension. National teams don't get much time together as it is. Missing this international window means missing the first real auditions for Argentina's next team.

The Fight Was Only Part Of Argentina's Bill

The player bans will get most of the attention, but FIFA wasn’t dealing with just one ugly fight. There were three separate problems here. Paredes, Molina, and Almada were punished for what happened on the field. Ayala was punished for getting involved as a member of the coaching staff.

The AFA was held responsible for a much longer list of issues.

Argentina’s federation was fined $321,000 for things like discriminatory chants and gestures, late kickoffs, security and match-protocol violations, objects thrown by fans, and inappropriate messages displayed by supporters and team members. FIFA also ordered the federation to put $100,000 toward an anti-discrimination program.

The political banner from the semifinal was part of that case. After Argentina beat England 2-1, supporters displayed a banner reading “Las Malvinas Son Argentinas” — “The Falklands are Argentine.” Reportedly, Giovani Lo Celso borrowed it from fans before he and Lisandro Martínez held it up during the celebration. The message was popular back home, but FIFA’s rules don’t allow political banners in the stadium.

However meaningful it was to Argentina, it still broke the tournament’s rules.

FIFA also ordered Argentina to limit attendance to 50% for their next home game.

Argentina’s first post-World Cup roster will be missing players because of the fight. The next home crowd will be cut in half because of the violations. Ayala won’t be on the sideline because he became part of the chaos he was supposed to help control.

Argentina was seconds away from leaving this World Cup with a painful but respectable runner-up finish. Spain had been better, but Argentina had still pushed the tournament’s best team into extra time and come within one win of becoming the first repeat champion since Brazil in 1962.

There was plenty to be frustrated about, but nothing to be embarrassed by.

Want more World Cup coverage? Head to Sports Pass for the latest. And for more stories that keep you informed and entertained, YourLifeBuzz has you covered.