Midfielder Leandro Paredes and several Argentina players have received bans and fines for their part in clashes with Spain players at the World Cup final, says FIFA.
Argentina lost 1-0 to Spain in a game that has been criticised in international media for a plethora of fouls and displays of poor sportsmanship from the Albiceleste.
The Spain of today is something more complete: technically immaculate, tactically sophisticated and capable of turning possession into sudden, devastating attacks.
The fervour goes beyond the historic rivalry between Pele's Brazil and Diego Maradona's Argentina: Mexico, Colombia, Chile and others are all hoping Lionel Messi's Albiceleste bite the dust on Sunday.
The semi-final of the World Cup was loaded with symbolism for many Argentine fans, given that the country lost the Falklands War to England over what Argentines call the Malvinas in 1982.
If a tournament could be won on paper, England would have a cabinet full of trophies. But football isn't played on paper, and England keep finding new ways to come up short.
Swarms of people sporting Spain football shirts milled around central Madrid with the red and yellow Spanish flag draped over their shoulders or painted on their cheeks.
