Barcelona star Lionel Messi was suspended for four Argentina matches by FIFA on Tuesday for swearing at an assistant referee. Messi was found guilty of "having directed insulting words at an assistant referee" in the World Cup qualifier against Chile last Thursday which Argentina won 1-0 thanks to a penalty from the Barcelona hitman.
He missed Argentina's South American qualifying game against Bolivia, scheduled for later Tuesday, with the remainder of the suspension served over his country's subsequent World Cup qualifiers. He was also fined 10,000 Swiss francs ($10,170), FIFA saying: "This decision is in line with the FIFA Disciplinary Committee's previous rulings in similar cases."