FIFA World Cup 2022: Why Lionel Messi might miss Argentina's semi-final clash with Croatia? In pics

The 1st semifinal of the FIFA World Cup 2022 will see Argentina take on Croatia

Nearly every team in the last four has a standout player, and for Argentina, of course, it is Lionel Messi. The 35-year-old is playing in what is almost certainly his last World Cup, and is looking like a man on a mission

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But fans might be up for a shock as the talismanic forward might not line up for Argentina against Croatia. FIFA have initiated disciplinary action against Messi after he criticised match referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz

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Now, FIFA's disciplinary committee is expected to publish a comment on the matter soon. The quarter-final encounter between Argentina and the Netherlands was a fiery encounter with numerous incidents involving players and coaching staff from both teams

There were 17 yellow cards — a record for a World Cup match — and one sending-off as players clashed on numerous occasions before and after Argentina won a penalty shootout to advance to the semifinals

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Messi criticised Spanish referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz and according to FIFA World Cup rules, if a referee reports such an occurrence in his match report, FIFA may investigate and initiate disciplinary action against him/her

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Referee Lahoz reported the event in this case, and as a result, FIFA has initiated disciplinary proceedings against Messi. If the FIFA disciplinary committee concludes that Messi was involved in a major infringement of regulations, he may face sanctions including match bans

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However, if he has not broken any rules, he may be cautioned for future behaviour and so be eligible to play in the semifinal match against Croatia

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If Messi is suspended, he will be the third player suspended for the Argentine team, joining Marcos Acuna and Gonzalo Montiel for the semifinal encounter

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