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Argentina star Lionel Messi on Friday was barred from playing for his national team for three months and fined $50,000 by CONMEBOL after he heavily criticized the South American soccer governing body during the Copa América.
The 32-year-old forward had accused CONMEBOL of corruption after he was sent off against Chile in the third-place playoff during the tournament in Brazil, which ended last month.
Messi was angered by two incidents during the Copa.
Argentina was denied two penalty claims in its 2-0 semifinal defeat against the hosts, after which Messi claimed Brazil was “managing a lot in CONMEBOL these days.