FIFA has started disciplinary action against Argentina’s football association because of the Falklands banner, and they shared an official statement about it.
The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has officially started an investigation into the Argentinian Football Association because of a few incidents, including the Falklands banner shown at the World Cup.
During the 2026 World Cup semi-final and final, Argentina caught attention—not for their play on the field, but for what happened afterward. Right after losing to Spain in the final, players Nahuel Molina and Leandro Paredes, along with official Roberto Ayala, were involved in violent actions that quickly spread online.
Just a few days earlier, after beating England in the semi-final, the Argentina team was seen holding a banner that said “Las Malvinas son Argentinas,” meaning “The Falklands are Argentine.”
Because of these events, many people called on FIFA to take action. Now, FIFA has confirmed they are opening proceedings against the Argentinian Football Association, the players, and the official involved.
FIFA told SPORTbible that the investigation will check if the Falklands banner broke rules about using sports events for political statements. They will also look into possible other rule breaks, like team misconduct, discrimination, late game starts, ignoring security rules, and fans throwing items during matches.
Regarding the violence, the Committee is investigating possible assault charges against Molina (who may have two counts), Paredes (three counts), and Ayala (one count). For example, Molina allegedly hit Manchester City’s Rodri after the final whistle, while Paredes pushed some Spanish players. Molina and teammate Thiago Almada, along with Spain’s Gavi, might also face charges for unsporting behavior.
Under FIFA’s rules, players guilty of violent conduct can be suspended for at least three matches. Even though the violence happened after the games, FIFA can still apply punishments afterward. Assault includes actions like elbowing, punching, kicking, or spitting and can lead to suspensions of three matches or more.
As for the Argentina Football Association, they could face big fines because of the violence and the Falklands banner. They were actually fined £20,000 back in 2014 for a similar banner during the World Cup that year.