Lionel Messi was banned for one match after seeing a red card in the 2019 Copa America. However, for this reason, the Argentine forward will not miss any match of the World Cup qualifiers.

Claudio Tapia, president of the Argentine Football Association (AFA), confirmed the matter in a tweet.

Messi received a controversial red card in the third-place match against Chile in the Copa America in Brazil in July last year and was banned for one match. The South American Football Confederation, or Conmebol, later announced that Messi would have to sit in the national team jersey for the next match. However, the Argentine captain played two friendly matches against Brazil and Uruguay later that year.

Argentina will take on Ecuador and Bolivia in next month’s World Cup qualifiers. Earlier, the AFA had challenged Conmebol about Messi’s ban, which Tapia said was a success. Their argument was that the ban had expired. Their argument has survived. The AFA said in a tweet.

In the 36th minute of that match, Messi got involved in a scuffle with Chilean footballer Gary Medel. The referee showed red cards to both Messi and Medel in this incident. However, Argentina won the match 2-1 in the end. Sergio Aguero and Paolo DiBalla scored for the team.

Argentina’s dream of winning the title was shattered when they lost 2-0 to Brazil in the semi-finals of that event. Argentina’s claim of two penalties in that match was rejected. Even then, Messi was angry with the referee and Conmebol. He alleged that Conmebol was trying to hand over the title to Brazil. He also claimed that he had to see a red card in the next match (against Chile) because of these words. He did not even go to take the medal at the end of the match.

At the end of the third-place match, Messi said: “There is no doubt that the whole thing has been set up to benefit Brazil. I hope VAR and the referees will not be biased in the final and Peru will also be able to fight. But in my eyes it will be quite difficult. ’

“I don’t want to be part of any corruption,” Messi said. We should not be a part of what is happening in Copa America. That’s why I didn’t go to get the medal. We could have gone further, but we were not allowed to go to the finals. Corruption, referees and others did not allow people to enjoy football. ’

Later, however, Messi apologized for this behavior. But he was expected to be severely punished. But in the end he was banned for one match. Was fined with one and a half thousand dollars. He was not scheduled to play in the team’s first match in the Latin American World Cup qualifiers in Qatar due to a one-match ban. However, after appealing to the AFA, he is no longer getting that punishment.