Argentina players seemed to be the instigators as a violent clash erupted between them and Spanish players after the conclusion of the FIFA World Cup 2026 final in New York. Argentina’s Leandro Paredes punched Spain’s Eric Garcia, grabbed his throat and threw Gavi on the ground. While FIFA Is yet to issue a statement, announcing penalty for the Argentinian players behind the post-match scuffle, Gavi doesn’t want Paredes to be suspended for his post-match act.
The nature of the violent act by Paredes could see him face at least a 3-match ban. However, Gavi is willing to look beyond what happened on the field.
“No, honestly? I don’t think he should be suspended (Leandro Paredes). I understand it’s not a good image for kids, but football also has that more physical, more aggressive side. The logical thing would have been to send him off during the match, and that’s it,” Gavi told El Partidazo de COPE after reaching home from the World Cup in North America. “At the end of the day, it’s football, and I think it should always stay that way.”
GAVI SOBRE LA AGRESION QUE RECIBIO DE PAREDES EN LA FINAL ESPANA-ARGENTINA:
“No creo que deba ser suspendido. Lo logico hubiese sido expulsarle en el partido”
“No es una imagen para los ninos pero creo que hay esa parte de futbol que es un poco mas violenta”
— Zona Mixta (@ZonaMixta__) July 21, 2026
Ferran Torres struck in the 106th minute of extra time to seal a dramatic 1-0 victory for Spain over defending champions Argentina, securing La Roja’s second FIFA World Cup title and their first since 2010.
A tempestuous clash reached boiling point late in normal time when Argentina were reduced to 10 men following Enzo Fernandez‘s dismissal for a challenge on Pau Cubarsi. Lionel Scaloni’s side struggled to maintain discipline throughout, racking up six yellow cards across the match.
The hostility spilled over past the final whistle when Leandro Paredes confronted Eric Garcia and Gavi. The dispute swiftly escalated into a chaotic brawl involving players, substitutes, and backroom staff before match officials and teammates managed to restore calm.
On the ground, it was announced that Paredes was sent-off by the referee for his violent actions but the red card was later ‘deleted’ by FIFA.
According to a report, the red card was “incorrectly reported” on FIFA’s commentator information system, which initially showed that Paredes had been shown a red card by the referee Slavko Vincic for fighting with Spain’s Eric Garcia.
“The mistake was corrected shortly afterwards,” FIFA confirmed to BBC Sport, suggesting that no disciplinary action was taken at the time.
