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You can call your mom and wish her a happy birthday. It doesn't cost anything. Well, except for the cost of the call, of course.
With this unremarkable sentence, the newspaper "Sport.es" started its publication about Lionel Messi.
On Tuesday, it was announced that the Competition Committee of the Spanish Football Federation (IFF) fined the forward Messi 2,000 euros.
The player also received a warning - a yellow card, although the referee did not show it during the match. And all this - ... for congratulating his mom!
However strange it may sound, it is true.
In the 20th round of the Spanish "La Liga" championship matches held over the weekend, "Barcelona" defeated Santander "Racing" 3-0 at home, and one of the team's goals was scored by the Argentine.
In the first half, David Villa was brought down in the penalty area of the Cantabrian team, so the referee awarded a penalty kick to the visitors for the foul against the forward. Messi confidently converted it into a goal from the spot.
After scoring the goal, the forward raised the official "Barcelona" jerseys and underneath revealed another set of simple leisure jerseys. "Feliz Cumple Mami" ("Happy Birthday, Mom") was the message on them.
Happy with the goal, Messi continued the match without receiving any referee sanctions.
This did not sit well with the IFF Competition Committee. During a meeting held on Tuesday, it was decided to fine Messi 2,000 euros and give the Argentine a yellow card.
The Competition Committee justified its decision with Article of the IFF Disciplinary Code. It states that a footballer who scores a goal, or any player on the field, who raises their jersey and clearly displays any message, advertisement, logo, slogan, etc. during an official match is subject to a fine of 2,000 to 3,000 euros.
"Sport.es" immediately recalled the World Cup final, in which the decisive goal was scored by Andres Iniesta who took off his jersey and displayed a message of condolences for the tragically deceased Barcelona "Espanyol" captain Daniel Jarque.
The newspaper "El Mundo Deportivo" published a photo of "Arsenal" captain Cesc Fabregas, where the captain of the London team also raised his jersey and congratulated his mom on her birthday.
This happened during the UEFA Champions League match against Shakhtar Donetsk. The Catalan did not receive any sanctions for this celebration.
