Lionel Messi’s birthday present to his mom cost him about 3,000 euros, and a yellow card. Quite a bargain, if you think about it. Moments after scoring on a penalty in Barcelona’s 3-0 win over Racing Santander on Saturday, Messi peeled back his jersey to display a birthday message to his mom on his undershirt. The ref didn’t seem to care, but Spanish soccer officials harrumphed the next day, fining Messi and awarding him an honorary yellow card (allow 3-6 weeks for delivery). Yahoo Euro:
The federation’s disciplinary committee punished Messi under their article 91.1 for goal celebrations, which carries a fine of between 2000 and 3000 euros, and awarded him a yellow card.
You’d think that after Andy Gray’s sexist shenanigans, a nice, G-rated shout-out to one’s mom would be welcome in pro soccer. At any rate, expect Cristiano Ronaldo to respond with an even bigger stunt on his mother’s birthday.
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La Liga — Messi fined for birthday gesture [Yahoo EuroSport]
