LA Times · Mar 28, 2017
FIFA bans Lionel Messi for four World Cup qualifying games
Argentina forward Lionel Messi argues with assistant referee Emerson Augusto de Carvalho at the end of a World Cup qualifier against Chile on March 23. (JUAN MABROMATA / AFP/Getty Images)Lionel Messi has been banned from Argentina's next four World Cup qualifiers, starting with Tuesday's game in Bolivia.
Messi was banned for “having directed insulting words at an assistant referee” during a home qualifier against Chile on Thursday, FIFA said hours before kickoff in La Paz.
“This decision is in line with the FIFA Disciplinary Committee's previous rulings in similar cases,” the world soccer body said.