'Disgrace' - FIFA must 'ban' Argentina's entire team in unprecedented action
Argentina's players could potentially face bans from future World Cups amid FIFA's investigation into the full-time scenes following their final defeat to Spain last Sunday.
That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that Lionel Scaloni's team "brought the game into disrepute" with their actions after the full-time whistle.
The South American outfit reacted angrily to their 1-0 defeat, as Leandro Paredes grabbed Eric Garcia by the throat, and Nahuel Molina appeared to punch Rodri as he ran past to celebrate.
Wyness believes that FIFA must "take a stand" against the actions of the Argentine side, with fans around the world beginning to lose faith in their power.
This summer's World Cup has been shrouded in controversy away from the pitch, including suggestions from some quarters that Argentina received favourable decisions earlier in the tournament.
FIFA are looking into the events that unfolded after Sunday's final, and Wyness is adamant that the players involved should face the strongest possible punishment.
Keith Wyness: FIFA 'losing credibility'
Everton’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that FIFA are at serious risk of "losing their credibility" if the Argentina squad are not met with a severe punishment in the coming weeks.
Scaloni's men are also facing an investigation into a banner that they held up after their semi-final victory, which made reference to the disputed Falkland Islands.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, he urged FIFA to come down hard on Argentina with a series of suspensions for the individuals involved.
"The expectation will be for very serious punishments. I mean, this was the showpiece of world football, and they brought it into disgrace," the Scottish businessman said.
"There's just no defence for it. And it should be some type of serious World Cup ban or international football ban in some way. It's just clear to me that they brought the game into disrepute.
"The whole (Lionel) Messi story doesn't vindicate it in any way. I just think they should have the book thrown at them. But whether FIFA will or not, we'll have to wait and see.
"The fact that Argentina didn't win probably gives FIFA more chance now to go on and do it because without Messi, they may not be the same force in the next World Cup.
"The whole thing is shrouded in serious clouds, and FIFA have got to take a stand. But we've all seen we're starting to lose faith in their ability to really handle things head-on. And this is something that's going to haunt them for a long time now and could see them lose a lot of their credibility."
Ex-Ref weighs in on Leandro Paredes incident
Former FIFA referee and ex-PGMOL chief Keith Hackett told Football Insider on Monday that Paredes must be hit with a "minimum" of a 10-game ban for the way that he reacted after the final.
The Boca Juniors man grappled with several Spain players after the final whistle, in scenes that Hackett described as "appalling."
He outlined that FIFA are "very unhappy" with the scenes that were visible around the world, and they feel it sent out the wrong message at the end of the tourna
Hackett has urged the governing body to come down hard on Paredes and his teammates, in order to set an example that this cannot be repeated in future.