Lionel Messi and Barcelona have been slapped with a fine after the Argentine star decided to remove his shirt to pay a tribute to the late Diego Maradona following his goal against Osasuna.
The Barcelona player will have to pay a fine of 543 pounds and the Spanish Giants will have to fork out 162 pounds.
Lionel Messi revealed a Newell’s Old Boys shirt belonging to Diego Maradona after scoring the goal.
There were protests from the Spanish club that the punishment should be waived off as it was a tribute to Diego Maradona but the Spanish Soccer Federation insisted on upholding the rules.
Their disciplinary code suggests that a player has to be punished for removing their shirt regardless of the motive while celebrating.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi’s emotional tribute to Diego Maradona was praised all over the globe.
The former Argentine World Cup winner passed away last Wednesday. He played for Newell’s Old Boys along with Barcelona during his playing career, just like Messi has done in the past and that is why the Barcelona star decided to unveil a Newell’s Old Boys shirt.
Lionel Messi left the Argentine club when he was 13 years old to move to Barcelona.
After the game, Lionel Messi sent out a message on Instagram stating that Diego Maradona is eternal and although he has left the world, he won’t be forgotten because of his immortal legacy.
“He has left us but he isn’t going anywhere because Diego is eternal,” Messi wrote on Instagram.
