Messi banned for four games
Argentine superstar Lionel Messi has been banned for four matches -- effective from tonight's fixture against Bolivia -- and fined 10,000 Swiss Francs by FIFA after he was found guilty of abusing an assistant referee.
A FIFA Disciplinary Committee found Messi guilty of articles 77 a) and 108 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC) following an incident that occurred during the 2018 World Cup Qualifying match between Argentina and Chile on March 23, 2017. Messi had verbally abused a referee and also refused to shake his hand at the end of the match.
"Footballer Lionel Messi has been found guilty of violating art. 57 of the FDC for having directed insulting words at an assistant referee," a FIFA statement read.
"As a result, Lionel Messi will be suspended for four official matches and sanctioned with a fine of CHF 10,000. The first match for which the sanction will apply is the next fixture in the preliminary competition of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ between Bolivia and Argentina, which will be played today, 28 March. The remainder of the sanction will be served over Argentina’s subsequent FIFA World Cup qualifying matches," the statement continued.
Comments