Soccer fans won’t have to wait long to witness another showdown between Colombia and Argentina. Following the 2024 Copa America final, FIFAannounced that it had revoked a previous sanction and made a new decision regarding Lionel Messi’s Argentina.
Colombia lost 1-0 to Argentina with a goal by Lautaro Martinez, scored in the seventh minute of the second half of extra time. Just hours after the match, FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee issued a sanction against the Colombian national team, which will be enforced in their upcoming World Cup qualifying match.
FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee penalized Colombia by reducing the capacity of Barranquilla’s Estadio Metropolitano by 25% for their September 10 match against Argentina. The reason? The unruly behavior of Colombian fans during earlier qualifiers against Chile and Uruguay, played on September 12 and October 12, respectively.
Meanwhile, Argentina is enjoying a wave of positive developments. Despite earlier reports suggesting that Lionel Messi might miss the matches against Chile and Colombia due to a right ankle ligament injury, the Argentine captain has expressed his desire to participate in the upcoming FIFA dates.
FIFA’s reversal on Argentina’s sanction
Initially, FIFA had sanctioned Argentina for homophobic chants, reducing the capacity of Estadio Monumental by 50% for their September 5 qualifier against Chile in the seventh round of the South American World Cup qualifiers.
However, according to Gastón Edul of TyC Sports, FIFA reconsidered its decision following an appeal by the Argentine Football Association (AFA). The sanction was reduced to 25% capacity, allowing approximately 63,000 fans to attend the match.
Argentina’s additional advantage against Colombia
Argentina will not only benefit from the reduced capacity of Colombian stadiums due to the FIFA sanction, but will also have an extra day of rest before their match against Colombia.
Lionel Scaloni’s team will play against Chile on September 5, while Colombia will play against Peru on September 6, before the two teams meet on September 10.
