FIFA opens an investigation into the brawl after the World Cup final; Paredes was not sent off during the match

What happened behind the prayer

The moment referee Slavko Vincic blew for full time, Lamine Yamal dropped to his knees and raised his hands in thanks. Just behind him, players were shoving each other. According to footage cited by several outlets, Argentina's Nahuel Molina made the first move, catching Spain's Rodri in the chest as the midfielder ran toward his teammates. Rodri traded words with him, and Eric Garcia stepped in. That drew a response from Leandro Paredes, who appeared to grab Garcia by the throat. When 19-year-old Gavi tried to intervene, Paredes knocked him to the ground. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni pulled his players away before it cooled. The Sporting News lists those involved as Paredes, Molina and Thiago Almada for Argentina, plus assistant coach Roberto Ayala, and Rodri, Garcia and Gavi for Spain.

FIFA appoints a prosecutor

On July 20 FIFA said it had opened a probe into the incident. Its disciplinary committee appointed a Disciplinary and Ethics Prosecutor to examine possible breaches of the FIFA Disciplinary Code over the post-match events, and said it would publish the findings once the work is done. Vincic issued no in-match punishment for the brawl. A report that Paredes had been shown a red card circulated briefly, but FIFA told the BBC that no disciplinary action was taken against him during the match. Any sanction, then, would come from the investigation rather than the game itself.

Two ceremonies, two moods

The tension carried into the medal ceremony. Spain's players formed a guard of honour and applauded the runners-up, but Argentina turned their backs as the new champions collected their gold medals and the trophy, Al Jazeera reported. Not everything was hostile: Yamal and Argentina captain Lionel Messi embraced after the match.

A second case for Argentina

This is the second FIFA probe involving Argentina at this tournament. After their 2-1 semfinal win over England, Lisandro Martinez and others held up a banner reading "Las Malvinas son Argentinas" — "The Falklands are Argentina's" — which became a political row in the UK. FIFA said it was also reviewing that display against its stadium code of conduct. With the final brawl added, two disciplinary cases are now running against the beaten finalists at once.

What punishment could look like

The scale of any penalty is unknown, but past cases give a yardstick. The Sporting News notes that conduct judged violent typically brings a ban of three matches or more. On throat-grabbing specifically, Zlatan Ibrahimovic was suspended two games in MLS in 2021 for grabbing an opposing goalkeeper's throat. The outlet sees Paredes and Molina as the likeliest to face the heaviest action, with a fine for the Argentine federation also possible. FIFA has not said when the investigation will conclude, or whether anyone will be punished at all.