Big relief from World Cup ban, four Argentine players will be able to serve their punishment in friendly matches

There is some relief for the four Argentina players who were banned for their on-field brawls after the World Cup final. The bans of Leandro Paredes, Nahuel Molina, Thiago Almada and assistant coach Roberto Ayala will now be extended to friendly matches, not just World Cup qualifiers.

FIFA's Disciplinary Committee has approved the Argentine Football Association's (AFA) request. This means that the four players will be able to serve their bans in international 'A' friendlies.

Paredes was banned for 10 matches and Molina for 7 matches for their involvement in the brawl after the World Cup final against Spain. Thiago Almada was banned for 1 match. And assistant coach Ayala was banned for 3 matches for punching Dani Olmo.

The AFA had previously appealed to FIFA to allow these bans to be extended to international friendlies as well as World Cup qualifiers. FIFA has responded to that request.

There are still two international windows left this year. Argentina can play a maximum of four matches in the window from September 21 to October 6 and a maximum of two matches in the window from November 9 to 17. As a result, if the team plays a maximum of six matches, a large part of the bans of Paredes and Molina could expire in the next two windows.

However, the AFA is not stopping here. After learning the detailed reasons for the ban, they are preparing to appeal to the FIFA Appeal Committee. If necessary, the Argentine Football Association has announced that it will also go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

AFA lawyer Andres 'Paton' Urich had previously claimed that the punishments for Paredes, Molina and Ayala were greater than their crimes. In connection with Paredes' 10-match ban, he also cited the example of Luis Suarez's nine-match ban for biting Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup. However, he said that there is no appeal against Almada's one-match ban.

FIFA's latest decision has brought relief to the Argentina camp for now. Although the ban has not been completely lifted, the opportunity to serve it out in friendly matches has greatly reduced the concerns about Paredes and Molina missing important qualifying matches.