<p>Barcelona star Lionel Messi was suspended for four Argentina matches by FIFA on Tuesday for swearing at an assistant referee.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Messi will miss Argentina's next 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.<br /><br />He was also fined 10,000 Swiss francs (9,350 euros, $10,170), FIFA saying: "This decision is in line with the FIFA Disciplinary Committee's previous rulings in similar cases."<br /><br />Argentina's victory over Chile left them in third place overall in the 10-team South American qualifying competition for the World Cup with 22 points from 13 games.<br /><br />The top four finishers qualify automatically for next year's finals in Russia.</p>
<p>Barcelona star Lionel Messi was suspended for four Argentina matches by FIFA on Tuesday for swearing at an assistant referee.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Messi will miss Argentina's next 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.<br /><br />He was also fined 10,000 Swiss francs (9,350 euros, $10,170), FIFA saying: "This decision is in line with the FIFA Disciplinary Committee's previous rulings in similar cases."<br /><br />Argentina's victory over Chile left them in third place overall in the 10-team South American qualifying competition for the World Cup with 22 points from 13 games.<br /><br />The top four finishers qualify automatically for next year's finals in Russia.</p>