Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni handed unusual ban at Copa America due to little-known rule

Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni has picked up a one-match touchline ban at the Copa America owing to a peculiar and little-known rule which many of us probably will not have been aware of.

Scaloni has been in charge of Argentina since 2018 and has overseen winning the 2021 Copa America, plus claiming Argentina's third World Cup title in 2022 in Qatar in a successful spell at the helm of one of international football's powerhouses.

Euro 2024 may well be the focus of football fans across Europe, but it is not the only international tournament taking place this summer, as the Copa America is taking place across the United States.

Argentina have already qualified for the knockout stages of the competition after winning their opening two group matches.

A 2-0 victory over Canada was followed by with a 1-0 win against Chile, and they end their Group A campaign against Peru today.

However, Argentina boss Scaloni will not be on the touchline for the encounter against Peru after picking up a one-match ban in the victory against Chile.

Scaloni broke a rule to earn this ban, and it is a peculiar and little-known one which many of us were probably unaware even existed.

In fact, it's something which you might think happens fairly frequently and might not have realised it is subject to a touchline ban.

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South American Football Confederation CONMEBOL has slapped Scaloni with a one-match touchline ban after the Argentina players were late to re-enter the pitch following half-time of the win over Chile.

Argentina assistant boss Walter Samuel explained how Scaloni took the news upon learning of it.

Speaking to The Athletic, Samuel said: "Lionel is upset about this. We consider ourselves to be staff with a lot of professionalism.

"We found out today. It was a blow. Sometimes you're talking about a small detail. We weren't trying to find an advantage. Now we have to focus on the next match and move forward."

Should Argentina win Group A, they will face the runners-up of Group B in the quarter-finals, which could be Ecuador, Mexico or Venezuela, depending on how the results of the final group matches unfold.