Fifa investigates violent scenes and political banner after World Cup final

Fifa has opened an investigation into the violent scenes that followed Spain’s World Cup final win on Sunday, with several Argentina players facing bans.

Nahuel Molina appeared to strike Spain’s captain Rodri in the stomach as he ran on to the pitch following the final whistle, while there was also a large melee on the halfway line, where Leandro Paredes appeared to grab Eric García by the throat before throwing Gavi to the ground.

Parades was subsequently shown a red card by the referee, Slavko Vincic, who had also sent off Enzo Fernández towards the end of normal time, as well as booking three other Argentina players and the head coach, Lionel Scaloni.

“Following an assessment of the relevant match reports for the Fifa World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, and in line with article 36 of the Fifa Disciplinary Code (FDC), the Fifa Disciplinary Committee has appointed a Disciplinary and Ethics Prosecutor to investigate potential breaches of the FDC with regard to the post-match incidents,” Fifa said in a statement.

Fifa is also investigating Argentina’s conduct after their semi-final win over England, when their players celebrated with a banner proclaiming “Las Malvinas son Argentinas”, which was smuggled into the Atlanta Stadium by supporters.

Fifa prohibits players or teams making political statements, so those involved could be banned.