It is proof that even one of the world's best soccer players is not above the law.
Argentina and Barcelona star Lionel
Messi has been hit with a four-game ban by football's governing body
FIFA and fined $10,000 after verbally abusing a match official while on
international duty.
The
29-year-old learned of his fate just hours before his country's crucial
qualifying clash with Bolivia. He will also miss upcoming games against
Uruguay, Paraguay and Venezuela.
Messi
became animated at the end of Argentina's 1-0 World Cup qualifying
victory over Chile on March 24 -- a game settled by the forward's
first-half penalty.
After being flagged for a foul, he waved his arms and sent a volley of verbal abuse at the referee's assistant.
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