Messi will miss all but one of Argentina's remaining World Cup qualifiers after FIFA punished him for swearing at an assistant referee after its 1-0 victory over Chile on 23 March.

Edgardo Bauza's side was beaten 2-0 by Bolivia in La Paz in the absence of its talisman and now face a real battle to earn a qualifying spot for the finals in Russia in two years' time, especially as Messi will only return for the final match against Ecuador.

The Argentine Football Association (AFA) intend to appeal the ban, with Messi insisting that his remarks were made "to the air" and not directly to the official, and Maradona says he will fight his compatriot's corner to get the punishment overturned.

 "I am going to speak with Infantino, I think it's terrible," Maradona told La Oral Deportivo. "Four games is a lot. The seriousness of Messi's words are also very strong, but I think it [the ban] can be changed.

"He is a sensational person and doesn't do anything except train. He is a teddy bear with his team-mates, with everyone."

Argentina hads only won one of the seven qualifiers for the 2018 finals that Messi has missed, with the 2014 finalists sitting outside the automatic qualifying spots with four games left to play.

Maradona admits Argentina must find a way to win without the 29 year-old in the side, pointing to Portugal - which won the UEFA EURO 2016 final despite losing Cristiano Ronaldo to injury in the first half - as an example.

"Messi's absence is crucial. Argentina with Messi are one thing, and quite another without," Maradona said. "If you take Ronaldo out of Portugal, they're still a winning team. It's the same with Real Madrid, and Barca, too."