Argentina have been handed a huge blow ahead of their clash with Bolivia in the World Cup qualifying round. The two-time World Cup winners will be without star captain Lionel Messi.
La Albiceleste travel to Estadio Hernando Siles for their last game of the latest international break, but their best player has been slapped with a four-game suspension by FIFA. Confirmation came only six hours before kick-off, which means Edgardo Bauza has little time to make adjustments.
The reason why the 29-year-old has been banned is due to the 1-0 win over Chile. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner scored the only goal to help his nation leap into third spot, but struggled to control his temper.
After losing patience with the officiating, Leo was caught on camera insulting assistant referees Marcelo Van Gasse and Dewson Silva. La Pulga was not included in the referee’s report, but FIFA investigated the incident nonetheless.
"Lionel Messi has been found guilty of violating art. 57 of the FDC for having directed insulting words at an assistant referee," read FIFA's official statement.
"As a result, Messi will be suspended for four official matches and sanctioned with a fine of CHF 10,000."
Messi will miss key World Cup qualifiers against Bolivia, Uruguay, Venezuela and Peru. This means Argentina will be without their influential captain until their last qualifier vs. Ecuador, leaving question marks over their chances of booking their ticket to Russia.
Messi's absence will prove costly for La Albiceleste’s 2018 World Cup hopes, as they have struggled to win during his injury layoff. They sit in third and are in-line for an automatic qualification, but the gap is small and a slip-up could see them fail to qualify.
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