Argentina star Lionel Messi was banned from playing for his national team for three months and fined $50,000 on Friday by CONMEBOL after he heavily criticized the South American football governing body during the Copa America.

The 32-year-old Barcelona forward had accused CONMEBOL of "corruption" after he was sent off against Chile during the third-place play-off during the tournament in Brazil, which ended last month.

Messi was angered by two incidents during the June-July Copa hosted by bitter rivals Brazil.

Argentina were denied two penalty claims in their 2-0 semi-final defeat to the hosts, after which Messi claimed Brazil were "managing a lot in CONMEBOL these days."

And when he was harshly dismissed in the next game, which Argentina went on to win 2-1, he couldn't contain his anger.

"Corruption and the referees are preventing people from enjoying the football and they're ruining it a bit," Messi said.

He was given his marching orders after a first-half scuffle with Chile captain Gary Medel in which television pictures suggested he'd done little wrong.

The CONMEBOL statement on its website didn't specify why Messi was being punished but said it was related to articles 7.1 and 7.2 of its disciplinary regulations.

One such clause refers to "offensive, insulting behavior or making defamatory protests of any kind."

Another clause mentions "breaching the decisions, directives or orders of the judicial bodies."

The ban means only that Messi will miss a handful of friendly matches as Argentina's next competitive fixture is not until the South American qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar begin in March.

However, he has already received a one-game ban from CONMEBOL for his red card against Chile meaning he'll miss the first of those.

Argentina have two friendlies lined up in the United States in September against Chile and Mexico and another in October away to Germany. 
Messi would miss all three of those but be free to play for his country again in November.

Argentina star Lionel Messi was banned from playing for his national team for three months and fined $50,000 on Friday by CONMEBOL after he heavily criticized the South American football governing body during the Copa America.

Argentina star Lionel Messi was banned from playing for his national team for three months and fined $50,000 on Friday by CONMEBOL after he heavily criticized the South American football governing body during the Copa America. The 32-year-old Barcelona forward had accused CONMEBOL of "corruption" after he was sent off against Chile during the third-place play-off during the tournament in Brazil, which ended last month. Messi was angered by two incidents during the June-July Copa hosted by bitter rivals Brazil. Argentina were denied two penalty claims in their 2-0 semi-final defeat to the hosts, after which Messi claimed Brazil were "managing a lot in CONMEBOL these days." And when he was harshly dismissed in the next game, which Argentina went on to win 2-1, he couldn't contain his anger. "Corruption and the referees are preventing people from enjoying the football and they're ruining it a bit," Messi said. He was given his marching orders after a first-half scuffle with Chile captain Gary Medel in which television pictures suggested he'd done little wrong. The CONMEBOL statement on its website didn't specify why Messi was being punished but said it was related to articles 7.1 and 7.2 of its disciplinary regulations. One such clause refers to "offensive, insulting behavior or making defamatory protests of any kind." Another clause mentions "breaching the decisions, directives or orders of the judicial bodies." The ban means only that Messi will miss a handful of friendly matches as Argentina's next competitive fixture is not until the South American qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar begin in March. However, he has already received a one-game ban from CONMEBOL for his red card against Chile meaning he'll miss the first of those. Argentina have two friendlies lined up in the United States in September against Chile and Mexico and another in October away to Germany. Messi would miss all three of those but be free to play for his country again in November.

Argentina star Messi banned from international football for three months 

<div style="text-align: justify;">Diego Maradona has offered to support new FIFA chief Gianni Infantino&#39;s bid to improve the running of football in Argentina. 
Speaking upon his arrival in Buenos Aires on Tuesday, the Argentine legend said: &quot;I&#39;m not going to be a FIFA observer, I&#39;m coming to collaborate directly with Gianni Infantino. 
&quot;I&#39;m not going to arrive at AFA (the Argentine Federation) to drop a bomb and start everything again from zero. On the contrary, I want Argentine football to become strong again, as it&#39;s always been, but with transparency.&quot; 
Elected in February to succeed Sepp Blatter, Infantino &quot;had a very positive and constructive meeting&quot; with Maradona in Paris on June 10, a FIFA spokesperson told AFP. 
&quot;It is important that true legends of the game like Diego Maradona are interested in the future of the game and involve themselves in the promotion and development of football.&quot; 
Maradona, who starred in Argentina&#39;s 1986 World Cup triumph, has often in the past been critical of world football authorities, last year saying Blatter had made a &quot;disgrace&quot; of the game. 
&quot;This was another step in implementing the FIFA President&#39;s vision to reconnect FIFA with the players who have made the history of the game,&quot; the FIFA spokesperson added. 
&quot;FIFA is committed to help and assist find a sustainable solution for the governance of Argentinian football. And Diego Maradona has offered his support.&quot; 
A joint FIFA and South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) mission is presently visiting Argentina. 
The Argentina Football Association (AFA) has been left reeling following the death of long-time president Julio Grondona in 2014, which unleashed an internal power struggle, and the FIFA corruption scandal, which implicated several figures in the world of Argentine football. 
AFA is also under investigation for suspected misuse of millions of dollars it received from the Argentine government under a programme called Football for All, in which matches were broadcast for free. (AFP)</div>

Says he wants Argentine football to become strong again, 'but with transparency'

Diego Maradona has offered to support new FIFA chief Gianni Infantino's bid to improve the running of football in Argentina. Speaking upon his arrival in Buenos Aires on Tuesday, the Argentine legend said: "I'm not going to be a FIFA observer, I'm coming to collaborate directly with Gianni Infantino. "I'm not going to arrive at AFA (the Argentine Federation) to drop a bomb and start everything again from zero. On the contrary, I want Argentine football to become strong again, as it's always been, but with transparency." Elected in February to succeed Sepp Blatter, Infantino "had a very positive and constructive meeting" with Maradona in Paris on June 10, a FIFA spokesperson told AFP. "It is important that true legends of the game like Diego Maradona are interested in the future of the game and involve themselves in the promotion and development of football." Maradona, who starred in Argentina's 1986 World Cup triumph, has often in the past been critical of world football authorities, last year saying Blatter had made a "disgrace" of the game. "This was another step in implementing the FIFA President's vision to reconnect FIFA with the players who have made the history of the game," the FIFA spokesperson added. "FIFA is committed to help and assist find a sustainable solution for the governance of Argentinian football. And Diego Maradona has offered his support." A joint FIFA and South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) mission is presently visiting Argentina. The Argentina Football Association (AFA) has been left reeling following the death of long-time president Julio Grondona in 2014, which unleashed an internal power struggle, and the FIFA corruption scandal, which implicated several figures in the world of Argentine football. AFA is also under investigation for suspected misuse of millions of dollars it received from the Argentine government under a programme called Football for All, in which matches were broadcast for free. (AFP)

Maradona offers to help new FIFA chief improve running of game in Argentina

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Argentina star Messi banned from international football for three months

Maradona offers to help new FIFA chief improve running of game in Argentina