What’s the story?
Argentina captain Lionel Messi has been handed a 4-match ban by FIFA for hurling abuse at the referee during La Albiceleste’s 1-0 win over Chile in the FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifiers.
Messi scored the only goal in Argentina’s 1-0 win over Chile and his absence will be a huge blow in the South American nation’s quest for a berth at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
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FIFA has found Messi guilty of violating article 57 of the FIFA disciplinary code for having directed insulting words at an assistant referee. In addition to the ban, the diminutive Argentine has also been fined CHF 10,000.
The news comes hours before Edgardo Buaza’s men take on Bolivia in another qualifier for the 2018 World Cup. The ban will see Messi sit out of 3 qualifying games for Argentina along with a friendly against Brazil. Here are the games that Messi will miss following the ban:
| Fixture | Date | Type of Match |
| Bolivia vs Argentina | 28th March | World Cup qualifier |
| Brazil vs Argentina | 09th June | Friendly |
| Uruguay vs Argentina | TBD | World Cup qualifier |
| Argentina vs Venezuela | TBD | World Cup qualifier |
In case you didn’t know
The Argentine captain was clearly not happy with the officiating and remonstrated vocally with the referees on more than one occasion. This had made its way into the referee’s report of the match, and now FIFA has served the punishment they deemed necessary based on it. During the game, Messi was caught on camera hurling abuse at officials Marcelo Vangasse and Dewson Silva.
The heart of the matter
Argentina are currently in 3rd place in the FIFA 2018 World Cup qualifiers, one point behind second-placed Uruguay, and 7 points behind leaders Brazil. Messi’s absence will put La Albiceleste’s qualifying in jeopardy as Edgardo Buaza’s men have struggled in the absence of their talisman.
Video
Here is the video of the incident:
Author’s Take
Any footballer be it Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo should face the consequences of their actions. Abusing officials is not something we expect from any footballers and FIFA on their part have made a statement by handing arguably the world’s best player with a 4-match ban.
Footballers are role models for youngsters and Messi is not setting a good example by his actions. The fleet-footed Argentine is known for his usually calm demeanor on the field but things flare up at times and footballers should look to maintain the decorum on the pitch.
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