FIFA has opened an inquiry into a scuffle between Argentine and Spanish players immediately after the World Cup final in New Jersey, a match Spain won 1-0 to knock Argentina from the throne they’d held since 2022.
The governing body announced the investigation on Monday, noting that its disciplinary panel had reviewed official match reports covering the chaotic scenes that erupted at the close of an emotionally charged contest settled in extra time.
“FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee has appointed a Disciplinary and Ethics Prosecutor to investigate potential breaches of the FDC with regard to the post-match incidents,” FIFA told Al Jazeera in a statement.
The organisation added that it would release its conclusions once the review is complete.
Spain’s moment of triumph, claiming their second world championship was overshadowed by the disorder, which had felt almost predictable given how visibly frustrated both squads and coaching staffs had become over the course of the game.
The instant the final whistle sounded, some players on both sides collapsed to the turf, some in triumph and others in devastation, while a separate cluster of players descended into a physical confrontation.
Footage that has since spread widely online shows Spain’s Lamine Yamal kneeling and lifting his hands skyward in what looks like a gesture of gratitude, even as skirmishes unfold just behind him, with Argentine players seen throwing punches at their Spanish counterparts.
Argentina’s Leandro Paredes grabbed Spain’s Eric Garcia around the neck, and after Spanish substitute Gavi stepped in to break things up, Paredes shoved him down.
Argentina’s manager, Lionel Scaloni, still leading the reigning 2022 champions at that point, sprinted in to pull Paredes away from the two Spaniards, though the defender continued shoving other Spanish players until a teammate physically restrained him.
Not every interaction was hostile, Yamal and Argentine captain Lionel Messi shared a warm hug afterward. Still, tension lingered heavily between the two sides overall.
Later, as staff prepared the podium for the trophy presentation, Spain’s players lined up to applaud Argentina’s team as they collected their runner-up medals.
Argentina, however, did not reciprocate, its players faced away from Spain as the new champions received their gold medals and lifted the trophy.
There’s no timeline yet for when FIFA’s investigation will wrap up, nor any indication of whether disciplinary action will follow.
This comes on the heels of a separate FIFA probe, launched last week, into Argentina’s players unveiling a political banner following their World Cup semifinal win over England, a display that breached stadium conduct rules and provoked backlash in the UK, given the sensitivities around the Falkland Islands’ sovereignty, a British overseas territory located off Argentina’s coast.
Defender Lisandro Martinez, joined by substitute Giovani Lo Celso, held up a sign reading “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” (“The Falklands are Argentinian”) while celebrating on the field, smiling and waving to supporters after their come-from-behind victory that Wednesday.
The gesture triggered criticism in Britain, where senior officials pressed FIFA to look into it, and the body confirmed it had opened a review, describing it as “standard procedure.”
“FIFA’s independent disciplinary committee is currently assessing the match reports and considering the relevant circumstances before deciding on potential further steps based on the FIFA disciplinary code,” a FIFA spokesperson told Al Jazeera on Thursday.
No further updates on that probe have been issued since.
