The president of the Argentine Football Association said that Lionel Messi could play with the national team at the opening of next month’s World Cup qualifiers, after his suspension during the Copa America last year.
Messi was suspended for one game after he was sent off in the third-place match against Chile, and officials of the South American Confederation (CONMEBOL) accused him of corruption.
Messi was supposed to miss the match against Ecuador in Buenos Aires on October 8th.
The Argentine Federation said in a statement on Twitter that Claudio Tapia, president of the Argentine Federation, had consulted with Alejandro Dominguez, president of the Confederation of Confederation, who confirmed that “the suspension has ended and that (Messi) can play.”
The Argentine striker was fired after a quarrel with Gary Medel, and said the tournament had been tampered with for hosts Brazil, which beat Argentina in a controversial semi-final match before claiming the title.
Argentina, which has not won the World Cup since 1986, will start their qualifying campaign with two consecutive matches, hosting Ecuador before heading out to meet Bolivia.
–
