FIFA suspended Lionel Messi for four matches

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee on 28 March 2017 suspended Argentina football player Lionel Messi for four matches. The committee reached the decision in application of articles 77 (a) and 108 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC).

Further, the committee took this decision as Messi was found at fault in relation to an incident during the match between Argentina and Chile on 23 March 2017.

In the qualifying competition for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia, Lionel Messi directed insulting words at an assistant referee.

As a result, Messi was suspended for four official matches and sanctioned with a fine of CHF 10,000. The first match for which the sanction was applied was the preliminary competition of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia, which was played between Bolivia and Argentina on 28 March 2017.

The remainder of the sanction will be served over Argentina’s subsequent FIFA World Cup qualifying matches.

Who is Lionel Messi?

•    Lionel Messi is an Argentine professional footballer.

•    He plays as a forward for Spanish club FC Barcelona.

•    He is the captain of the Argentina national team.

•    He is the only footballer in history to win five FIFA Ballons d'Or, four of which he won consecutively.

Integrated Automatic Aviation Meteorological Systems inaugurated at INS Rajali

•    He is also the first player to win three European Golden Shoes.

•    He holds the records for most goals scored in La Liga, a La Liga season and a football season. He has scored over 500 senior career goals for club and country.

•    Messi is often considered as the best player in the world and rated by many in the sport as the greatest of all time.

•    With Barcelona he has won eight La Liga titles, four UEFA Champions League titles, and four Copas del Rey, among other trophies.