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The Spanish Soccer Federation has come under fire for fining Lionel Messi 600 euros (AU $ 980) for his touching tribute to Diego Maradona.
Just days after Maradona’s passing, the Barcelona megastar scored during his team’s 4-0 win over Osasuna in La Liga.
And to pay tribute to the legendary Argentine footballer, Messi celebrated his goal by removing his Barça shirt to reveal Newell’s Old Boys’ iconic red and black stripe.
Maradona spent a season at the Argentine club during the twilight of his career.
But the importance and the direct link is that Messi really started his football journey when he was young with Newell’s Old Boy.It’s way back in 1994 when Maradona was strutting for the first team.
Images and video of Messi’s touching gesture spread like wildfire on social media as he received praise from soccer fans around the world.
But while some watched the act fondly, others didn’t.
As a result of his celebration, Messi was fined by the Spanish Football Federation.
4 days agoA mere 600 euros shouldn’t hurt your wallet too much, but that’s more than the point.
Whether it was 6, 600 or 60,000 euros, Messi should not have been fined in the first place in the eyes of many.
On top of that, Spanish officials also held Messi’s employer responsible and fined the Catalan giants Barça 180 euros (AU $ 294) for the yellow card their main man received.
The questionable move has caused the sport’s governing body to receive many negative reactions.
And while the idea that “rules are rules” still applies, surely a little freedom would not have gone wrong under the circumstances.
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