FIFA fines Argentina over Falklands banner and World Cup final brawl
FIFA fines Argentina's FA and bans players over Falklands banner and World Cup final brawl.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
FIFA has fined Argentina's football association £235,000 and imposed a partial stadium closure for the national team's next home match after players displayed a banner referencing the Falkland Islands following their World Cup semi-final win over England.
The banner, which claimed Argentine sovereignty over the islands, which Argentina calls Las Malvinas and which are a British overseas territory, was unfurled after the match. It was criticised by UK politicians, including Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey, who called for those involved to be suspended.
FIFA also took action over the brawl that broke out at the end of the World Cup final, which Argentina lost to Spain. Midfielder Leandro Paredes was given a 10-match international ban and fined £66,000 after he was seen grabbing Spanish defender Eric Garcia by the throat and wrestling midfielder Gavi to the ground. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez received a seven-match ban and a £66,000 fine, while Thiago Almada and Pablo Martín Pérez were given one-match suspensions and fined £22,000 each. Team official Roberto Ayala was also fined £22,000 and suspended for three matches.
In addition, FIFA has capped attendance at Argentina's next home game at 50% of capacity, with a possible further cap on the following match. The governing body said the measures were for breaking several conduct rules, including using a sporting event for demonstrations of a non-sporting nature.
The final was watched by an estimated 1.5 billion viewers worldwide, and the ugly scenes marred what had been a successful tournament.
On screen
Stills are sampled automatically at 60-second intervals. Where shown, the still is the nearest available frame from the relevant broadcast segment and is included to show what was on screen during that part of the broadcast. A still may not correspond to the exact second of a quoted phrase.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | ITV | Sky News |
|---|---|---|
| FIFA fined the Argentine Football Association approximately £235,000 for the Falklands banner and other conduct violations. | ||
| Argentina's next home match will be played with a 50% stadium capacity limit. | · | |
| Leandro Paredes received a 10-match international ban and a £66,000 fine for his role in the World Cup final brawl. | · | |
| Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey called for those involved in a banner display to be suspended. | · | |
| Several Argentina players were suspended after a final brawl. | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
ITV1 focused on the specific penalties handed down by FIFA, including the fine amount, the crowd cap, and the individual bans for players and officials. The tone was factual and detailed, with a clear explanation of the banner incident and the final brawl, and it highlighted the global audience of the final.
- “The Argentina football team has been heavily fined by FIFA after unveiling a banner about the Falkland Islands after it beat England in the semis of the World Cup.”
- “FIFA has therefore fined the Argentinian Football Association around £235,000 for breaking several of its conduct rules, including using a sporting event for demonstrations of a non-sporting nature.”
- “Leandro Paredes, wearing number five here, seen grabbing Spanish defender Eric Garcia by the throat before then going on to wrestle midfielder Gavi to the ground, sparking a mass brawl.”
Sky News focused on the political reaction to the banner, including criticism from UK politicians, and the presenter added strong personal commentary on the Falklands sovereignty dispute. The tone was more opinionated and conversational, with less detail on the specific fines and bans compared to ITV.
- “Argentina's Football Association has been fined almost a quarter of a million pounds after players displayed a banner referencing the Falkland Islands, or that's Malvinas as they called it on the banner, following their World Cup semi-final win over England.”
- “It was criticized by politicians here in the UK when the protests took place last month with the Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey calling for those involved to be suspended.”
- “It turns out a lot of the players who got into fisticuffs after the final from Argentina's side did get suspended today as a result.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.