Messi banned for four international matches

Reuters: Argentina forward Lionel Messi has been banned from their next four competitive internationals, starting with Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier in Bolivia, for swearing at a match official, FIFA said on Tuesday.

The decision was announced less than six hours before kickoff of the match in La Paz and means the five-times world player of the year will play in only one of Argentina’s remaining five World Cup qualifiers.

His absence will be a severe blow to the two-times world champions who are struggling in the marathon South American campaign where results have included home defeats by Ecuador and Paraguay and a 3-0 mauling by arch-rivals Brazil.

FIFA said Messi had “directed insulting words at an assistant referee” during the 1-0 win over Chile on Friday, in which he scored the only goal from a penalty.

Television pictures showed him swearing at Brazilian linesman Emerson Augusto do Carvalho at the end of the match after being harried and fouled by Chile’s Jean Beausejour. The official patted him on the head and tried to calm him down but Messi kept ranting.

FIFA said in a letter to the Argentine Football Association (AFA), published by Argentine media, that the incident was not detailed in the referee’s report at the time and was brought to its attention by the media.