AFA president vows to get Messi ban reduced

BUENOS AIRES: The Argentine FA, lacking proper leadership since 2015 and fearful its national team might not reach the World Cup finals without banned captain Lionel Messi, elected a third-tier club chairman and former roadsweeper as its president yesterday.

Claudio Tapia of Barracas Central, who play in the Primera B Metropolitana division, was the sole candidate in the election but still needed the support of a majority of delegates, which he achieved by scooping 40 of 43 votes cast.

He will serve a four-year term, but some of the power behind the scenes is expected to be wielded by his deputy Daniel Angelici, who is president of top flight Boca Juniors and was a key figure in promoting Tapia’s candidacy.

Tapia, who is also known as “Chiqui” (little one), said one of his first tasks would be to get Messi’s four-match suspension reduced and said it was imperative everyone got behind beleaguered coach Edgardo Bauza.

Messi was suspended on Tuesday after Fifa said he had “directed insulting words at an assistant referee” during their 1-0 World Cup qualifying win over Chile last Thursday.

The match officials did not include the incident in their reports but Fifa acted on video evidence and Messi missed Tuesday’s 2-0 defeat to Bolivia in La Paz.

“(We) will make the necessary efforts before Fifa for the sanction to be ... reduced because it is unjust,” Tapia said.

Messi will miss games away to Uruguay and at home to Peru and Venezuela, before returning for their final match in Ecuador in October.