Following a match held in Buenos Aires on 23 March 2017 against Chile in the qualifying stage for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee opened an investigation against Lionel Messi for having directed insulting words at an assistant referee.
FIFA gave the AFA less than 12 hours to answer the allegations, stating that the time limit was not going to be extended “under any circumstance”, since a qualifying match vs. Bolivia was forthcoming. Only a few hours before the match, the Commission passed a decision imposing a 4-match (official matches) suspension and a fine of CHF 10,000 (approx. EUR 9,000). Messi has been found guilty of violating Article 57 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC).
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