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FIFA said Monday it had opened an investigation into a brawl that broke out after the World Cup final between Argentina and Spain, while also examining a political banner displayed by Argentine players during their semifinal win over England.
"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 post-match incidents," FIFA said in a statement.
At the final whistle, Argentina's Leandro Paredes appeared to grab Spain's Eric Garcia by the throat and push Gavi to the ground, while Nahuel Molina appeared to strike Rodri. Argentina assistant coach Roberto Ayala was also seen apparently striking Dani Olmo.
It was initially reported that referee Slavko Vincic had shown Paredes a red card after the final whistle. FIFA later confirmed to BBC Sport that no disciplinary action had been recorded against Paredes at the time.
Molina later confronted Rodri, who was also involved in a verbal exchange with his former Manchester City teammate, Nicolas Otamendi.
Beyond the final, FIFA is also reviewing Argentina's conduct following its 2-1 victory over England in the semifinal. Players celebrated with a banner reading "Las Malvinas son Argentinas" (The Malvinas are Argentine), the Spanish name Argentina uses for the Falkland Islands, a South Atlantic archipelago administered by Britain.
Lisandro Martinez and Giovani Lo Celso held the banner during the celebrations. It had been brought into Atlanta Stadium by Argentine supporters.
The display drew criticism from British officials, who called on FIFA to investigate whether the players had breached rules prohibiting political messages during official competitions.
FIFA regulations bar players and teams from making political statements during matches, meaning fines or suspensions could form part of the wider investigation into both the banner and the post-final brawl.
Neither the Argentine Football Association nor the Spanish federation had issued a public response to the FIFA investigation as of Monday.
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