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Messi’s FIFA Suspension: One Referee Disagrees

By Laieke Abebe

Jun 18, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; Argentina midfielder Lionel Messi (10) celebrates his goal during the second half of Argentina's 4-1 win over Venezuela in quarter-final play in the 2016 Copa America Centenario soccer tournament at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 18, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; Argentina midfielder Lionel Messi (10) celebrates his goal during the second half of Argentina's 4-1 win over Venezuela in quarter-final play in the 2016 Copa America Centenario soccer tournament at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Lionel Messi has begun his four game ban from FIFA competition. A former referee believes that the Argentine shouldn’t have been punished.

No one is above the rules set by FIFA from players to coaches of the sport. Even the biggest stars on the planet can get penalized. This is the case with Lionel Messi. The star of Argentina’s National Team and FC Barcelona was suspended for four matches due to a rant to an official. It occurred in Argentina’s 1-0 win over Chile in 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying. His suspension began with Argentina losing 2-0 to Bolivia. He is set to miss three more matches as the qualifying stages will wait until the summer. If that is the case, he can only play in Argentina’s last qualifier against Ecuador.

A former referee is defending Messi’s ban. Graham Poll, a former referee for FIFA, says that the suspension is warranted. However, the length of the suspension is what really caught his eye. He thinks Messi should’ve been given a lighter penalty. In addition, Poll believes that FIFA broke their own laws by looking at video evidence to find something the refs didn’t see before. Poll talked about this in the Daily Mail.

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"“Players who abuse match officials should be sent off and suspended, but I am amazed Lionel Messi has been given a four-match ban. The Argentine appeared to use insulting and offensive language towards the assistant referee against Chile last week. He was clearly annoyed at being penalized for a foul but, despite his animated protests, he was not sanctioned at the time. However, a FIFA disciplinary committee has watched video evidence and decided to impose the ban, which I believe is against the laws of the game.”Poll on Messi’s Ban"

Despite the poor choice of words from Messi, the ban did seem a bit harsh. In addition to that, the timing of the suspension is really tough on the Argentine and his team. The team doesn’t do well when Messi doesn’t play and that has already been proven in this qualifying campaign. Because of this suspension, Edgardo Bauza’s Argentina now have a lot more work to do if they are to qualify for the World Cup.

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Overall, the Messi ban could put a dent in Argentina’s World Cup hopes. Even without their star, the talent level is so good for La Albiceleste that they should get through anyway. However, the team is really dependent on having their star make game-changing plays to help the team be successful. The result against Bolivia is a prime example of this. The Messi ban might be shortened due to an appeal.

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