Argentina captain Lionel Messi has refuted claims that he verbally abused an assistant referee during his country's 1-0 win over Chile last week.
The 29-year-old was banned for four international matches just hours before Tuesday's World Cup qualifier against Bolivia, after directing "insulting words" at an assistant referee during last week's game.
Messi, who scored the only goal in the qualifier last week from the penalty spot, was angered when he was penalised for a foul, which resulted in him gesturing angrily to the assistant.
Many have questioned why the Albiceleste talisman has been handed such a hefty ban, and Barcelona even released a statement this week condemning the four-game sanction for their forward.
On Thursday, Messi released a statement which read: "I vehemently deny having offended assistant referee 1 during the game against Chile, and more so do not believe that my conduct falls under article 57 of FIFA's disciplinary code.
"Assistant referee 1, of Brazilian nationality, perfectly understood what I was saying, so much so that we spoke amicably and at no time did my words offend or insult the official.
"If any of my words made assistant referee 1 uncomfortable, they were never directed at him but rather to the air and for that, I apologise. I hereby expressly request for the disciplinary case to be dismissed without any sanction against me."
The four-game suspension only applies to Argentina fixtures, ensuring that Messi will miss games against Uruguay, Peru, Venezuela and Ecuador.
Giuseppe Labellarte
