FIFA said Messi had "directed insulting words at an assistant referee" during the 1-0 win over Chile on Friday, in which he scored the only goal from a penalty. The official patted him on the head and tried to calm him down but Messi kept ranting. "This decision is in line with the FIFA Disciplinary Committee’s previous rulings in similar cases," FIFA said. "Messi is sad, today we lost an important player," said AFA national teams secretary Jorge Miadosqui. Messi has not enjoyed the same success with Argentina as he has with Barcelona and announced his international retirement last year before back-tracking on his decision.

Source: India Today March 28, 2017 14:47 UTC