MADRID – Lionel Messi has been fined for lifting his shirt to reveal a vest wishing his mother a happy birthday after scoring a goal for Barcelona, the Spanish football federation said on Tuesday. The world player of the year ran over to a television camera to reveal the words “Happy birthday, mami” on an undershirt after scoring a penalty in Barca’s 3-0 home win over Racing Santander on Saturday.
The referee did not book the Argentine forward for the celebration but mentioned the action in his match report. The disciplinary committee punished Messi under their article 91.1 for goal celebrations.