Paredes can't stop: two weeks after the World Cup final, a new scandal in the Clausura
Two weeks after the World Cup final, Paredes was at it again: a deliberate ball at an opponent, a brawl in the Clausura, and yet another chapter in a growing list of incidents at Boca.
The World Cup is over, Argentina lost the final to Spain — and Leandro Paredes still can't stay out of trouble.
Two weeks after the final whistle at the 2026 World Cup, the Boca Juniors midfielder was back in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. During a Clausura match in the Argentine league, with play stopped for a foul, Paredes deliberately kicked the ball at a Newell's Old Boys player. The opponent went down. The referee's response? A yellow card — nothing more.
Newell's players were having none of it. They surrounded Paredes, demanded a red card, and what started as a protest quickly turned into a brawl, with shoves flying on both sides. The officials managed to restore order without sending anyone off. Boca, who had led by two goals, ended up drawing 2–2.
This was no isolated incident. The previous Thursday, in a Copa Sudamericana match against O'Higgins, Paredes argued with Colombian referee Wilmar Roldán, pushed the official's arm away as he was about to book a teammate, and even received a shove from the referee himself. He had to be restrained by his own players — yet stayed on the pitch and converted his penalty in the shootout.
And before all that, of course, there was the World Cup final. Paredes came on against Spain, was involved in several rough challenges, and after the final whistle inserted himself into a confrontation between the two delegations.
Golmetria's model had Argentina as the second favourite for the title, with a 68% chance of reaching the final — and they did. But the trophy went to Spain, and the Argentine hangover seems to be making itself felt on the pitch.
The question that lingers: how far does this run of incidents go before a serious suspension finally pulls Paredes off the field for good?