FIFA disqualifies Lionel Messi for insulting referee

FIFA has given Argentina captain Lionel Messi a four-match ban for insulting a referee during a match against Chile. The federation announced its decision a few hours before the next World Cup qualifying match against Bolivia. Messi was also fined nine thousand euros.

The match with Chile took place on March 24. Argentina won by a narrow margin. Messi scored the only goal. During the match, he was unhappy about being punished for a foul and yelled at the referee. At the same time, the judges themselves said that Messi did not insult them.

Due to the disqualification, the captain of the Argentina national team will miss the matches with Bolivia, Uruguay, Venezuela and Peru. He will be able to play only the fifth match with Ecuador.