Lionel Messi Suspended 4 Matches After Rant at Official

Lionel Messi will miss four matches for Argentina, beginning with the team's FIFA World Cup qualifying match with Bolivia on Tuesday after he allegedly abused a match official during the team’s recent 1-0 win over Chile. FIFA announced the decision Tuesday.

As reported by Daniel Edwards of Goal, the Barcelona forward is said to have been unhappy with linesman Marcelo Van Gasse during the contest and reportedly aimed a volley of invective his way in the second period. The incident is said to have been notified to CONMEBOL on Monday, and Messi could subsequently be set for a ban.

The 29-year-old reportedly bellowed "f--k off, your mother’s c--t" at Van Gasse during the Albiceleste’s narrow triumph last week.

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Aside from his tangle with the official, it was a good night for Messi and his team, as they secured a crucial three points in their pursuit of a place at the World Cup. 

Messi exorcised some personal demons too; having missed from the spot in last summer’s Copa America final against Chile in a shootout, he stepped up to score from 12 yards in this one.

Argentina may be without their talisman for a major part of what promises to be a crucial run-in for Edgardo Bauza and his team.

This is of huge concern to fans of the Argentina team, as their automatic place is far from secure in the CONMEBOL qualifying phase. They sit in third place in the standings behind Brazil and Uruguay, but only four points separate them and Paraguay, who are down in seventh.

For Argentina, Messi would be a huge loss. Although there have been some harsh critics of the Barcelona man’s displays for the national team down the years, in the main he’s been magnificent as of late in the blue and white jersey.

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And despite a surfeit of attacking talent in the squad, without their talisman they’ve struggled to pick up results, as 101 Great Goals noted here:

After their match against Bolivia, the next time they will take to the field will be against Uruguay in August in what is potentially a decisive showdown for both sides.