Revealed: Lionel Messi’s First Message After FIFA Suspension
Mar 29, 2017 at 11:06 AM
Lionel Messi remained with his Argentina team-mates despite the four-game FIFA ban he has suffered for insulting a referee’s assistant but the result of the shocking ban was devastating as Argentina lost 2-0 to Bolivia in a crucial World Cup qualifying match.
Argentina are definitely hurt by the decision and Celia, Messi’s mother, in Rosario has not stopped crying. She is suffering because of the injustice of the ban on her son. She is inconsolable. But in Bolivia, the Barcelona star is hurt but not defeated. This is the message he transmits to his team-mates.
Lionel Messi was in the Sun Hotel when messages arrived from his friends confirming the FIFA ban. Soon Marcelo Tinelli, chief of the team and a friend of the player came to his room to tell him, but Messi already knew, a mixture of rage and impotence. The rest of the squad were told by Tinelli and social media. The impact was devastating. The team, with six hours to go before facing Bolivia, were shocked.
Messi is the soul of the side and the idea that he will miss four games is a big blow to their chances of progressing to the World Cup. Frustrated Leo was close to his companions ahead of the Bolivia match. One member of the traveling party said in an interview: “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and we are confident we can move forward.” The players believe they can still qualify and they played against Bolivia to show all is not lost but at the end of the day results matter and Argentina’s hope to qualify for the 2018 World Cup suffered a big blow.