New footage reveals another unpleasant thing Leandro Paredes did that TV cameras didn’t catch.
Some alternative clips have come out showing just how badly Leandro Paredes behaved after Argentina lost to Spain in the World Cup final. Ferran Torres scored the winning goal in extra time, giving Spain their second World Cup win while Argentina didn’t have a single shot on target throughout the match.
Argentina had a tough time after Enzo Fernandez was sent off with two silly yellow cards. The second was for a late tackle on Pau Cubarsi. Playing with 10 men, Argentina struggled to threaten Spain, and then things got worse when Paredes was shown a red card after the final whistle for his bad behavior.
Paredes, who plays for Boca Juniors, was already booked just minutes into the second half and wasn’t shy about making rough tackles. But right after Spain’s win, he acted out even more. Gary Neville on ITV called him a “disgrace” after he was seen throwing punches at Gavi and throwing the Barcelona player to the ground.
Social media footage showed that before that, Paredes shoved and kicked Eric Garcia, sending him to the turf. Then he grabbed Garcia by the throat before turning on Gavi in a complete loss of control. The referee, Slavko Vincic, who was officiating his last game, gave Paredes a second red card.
There were other ugly moments too. Nahuel Molina threw a punch at Spain’s captain Rodri as they ran back onto the pitch to celebrate, and players from both sides got involved. Argentina’s coach Roberto Ayala even hit Spain’s Dani Olmo.
Lionel Messi stayed out of the trouble, while Argentina’s manager Lionel Scaloni tried to calm things down and separate the players. After the match, Olmo said the Argentina players and staff “should also be role models in everything and for the better.”
Argentina wasn’t punished for showing a Falklands banner after their win over England, but Paredes could face a long ban because of what he did after the final whistle. FIFA is expected to review the incident, and any suspension will likely carry over to future matches.
According to FIFA rules, “Any suspension that cannot be served during the FIFA World Cup 26 will be carried over to the representative team’s next official match.”
In one last disappointing moment, the Argentina team turned their backs on Spain lifting the World Cup trophy and instead faced their own fans behind the goal, showing a lack of sportsmanship.