- Barcelona captain Lionel Messi delivered a beautiful tribute for his late compatriot and football icon, Diego Maradona.
- The club will reportedly be fined for the celebration as the 33-year-old took his shirt off.
The former Napoli and Barcelona great was widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers to have played the game, for whom tributes came pouring in from all over the world. Argentina even announced three days of national mourning after Maradona’s death.
His compatriot and by many accounts the man considered his heir, Lionel Messi, delivered a beautiful tribute to Maradona, but now, his club Barcelona could face a fine as a result of it.
Barcelona to be fined €3000 after Lionel Messi tribute
As per Spanish outlet SPORT, Barcelona will be fined an amount of €3000 after Lionel Messi’s homage for Maradona during their 4-0 win ove Osasuna.
The 33-year-old scored a stunning goal which rocketed into the top-right corner and registered Barcelona’s fourth goal. After scoring the goal, Lionel Messi took off his shirt and revealed a Newell’s Old Boys shirt underneath it, with a #10 on the back of it — the same shirt that Maradona wore during his spell with the South American club — and then raised his arms to the sky.
As touching a tribute this was to Maradona, the report claims that Barcelona will be fined due to article 91 of the RFEF Disciplinary Code, which states that players are not allowed to remove their shirts to celebrate goals.
In fact, it is a rule enforced by FIFA that prohibits players from taking their shirt off to celebrate goals, which is said to be applicable to any club all over the globe.
Match referee Mateu Lahoz was forced to hand Lionel Messi a yellow card after the celebration. Luhoz went into great detail regarding the booking in his post-match report, which read;
“In minute 73, the player (10) Messi Cuccittini, Lionel Andres was booked for the following reason: For removing his shirt, after scoring a goal, showing a new shirt of the Newell’s Old Boys team, from the 93/94 season, with the number 10 on the back.”
Both Lionel Messi and Maradona played for Newell’s and Barcelona throughout their illustrious careers, and the Blaugrana skipper was even coached by the late midfielder when he was in charge of La Albiceleste.
