Argentina and Barcelona star Lionel Messi will miss Argentina’s World Cup qualifier against Bolivia after being slapped with a four-game ban for a foul-mouthed rant at a match official.
The decision was communicated to the Argentine Football Association (AFA) just hours before their match in La Paz on Tuesday evening.
Messi was found guilty of “having directed insulting words at an assistant referee” in the World Cup qualifier against Chile last Thursday which Argentina won 1-0 thanks to a penalty from the Barcelona hitman.
The 29-year-old was penalised for a foul and proceeded to wave his arms and shout insults at the referee’s assistant Marcelo van Gasse, with whom he refused to shake hands at the final whistle.
It was not initially recorded in referee Sandro Ricci’s report but was followed up by FIFA after video footage of Messi’s insult emerged. Both the officials and the AFA were subsequently asked for their observations.
Messi has been fined 10,000 Swiss francs (£8,100) and will also miss World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay, Venezuela and Peru before returning for the final match against Ecuador.
“This decision reflects the consistent case law that the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has applied in previous and similar cases,” a FIFA statement reads.