Fifa, the football overlord in a freefall on popularity charts since the World Cup, has finally taken action on the ugly fracas the tournament ended with. On Friday, it handed out bans and fines to three Argentina players and one official for on-pitch scuffles. Leandro Paredes, who shoved a Spanish player to the ground after the final, earned the harshest sentence of a 10-match ban and a €76,000 fine. The nation’s football association was fined €94,000 and directed to spend €85,500 on anti-racism projects. But the damage is done. As Premier League prepared to restart this weekend, the league’s refereeing head warned of a global fallout from Fifa’s baffling decision to allow US forward Folarin Balogun to play despite a World Cup red card.
