Lionel Messi could face punishment for furious referee outburst

The Argentine captain's swearing could lead to a ban from the national team.

Things have not been going well for Lionel Messi in recent weeks.

Not only was his Inter Miami side dumped out of the MLS play-offs in the first round, but Argentina's captain saw his side throw away an early lead and lose 2-1 to Paraguay on Thursday night.

Argentina have now won just one of their last four matches and the frustration appears to be getting to Messi too. At half-time against Paraguay, he confronted referee Anderson Daronco and appeared to say: “You're a coward, I don't like you!”

It seems Messi was unhappy with Daronco's decision not to issue a second yellow card to Paraguayan defender Omar Alderete. It was Alderete W

Ho gave Paraguay the lead early in the second half and it could well be Messi who gets into trouble with the officials.

Can Lionel Messi be banned for referee outburst?

Foul language between players and referees is not a rarity in football, but the nature of Messi's outburst can still be punished. The 37-year-old waved a finger in the referee's face and repeatedly protested the decisions, continuing the tirade even as he trudged off the pitch.

FIFA's handbook states that players may be subject to disciplinary action if they are found to have used “offensive gestures, gestures or language” on the field of play. Messi was fairly subdued compared to some, but by calling Daronco a coward he is essentially questioning the referee's decision-making.

Earlier this year, New England Revolution head coach Caleb Porter was hit with a one-match suspension and a $20,000 fine for calling an MLS referee a “coward” who had preceded a “joke show.”

Porter's outburst differs in that it was not delivered in the heat of a game, but in a ten-minute tirade during a post-game press conference. This premeditated nature probably got him into trouble with the referees, something that does not apply to Messi.