Argentina head coach Edgardo Bauza criticised FIFA for handing Lionel Messi a four-game suspension hours before his side slumped to a 2-0 defeat in Bolivia that jeopardised their hopes of qualifying for next year's World Cup.
Juan Carlos Arce and Marcelo Martins were on target as Bolivia claimed a comfortable victory at Estadio Hernando Siles.
However, much of the focus was on Barcelona playmaker Messi, who was banned for four international matches for abusing an assistant referee during last Thursday's win over Chile.
Argentina plan to appeal the ruling, but with the ban handed down hours before kickoff Bauza was left bemused by the timing of FIFA's announcement.
"We don't understand the Messi sanction. It seemed strange to us that all those decisions could be made in one day," Bauza said. "We didn't have time to make an appeal. It is regrettable not only because Lionel could not play but also because we weren't given enough time to get another player ready.
"Someone intervened so that this would happen," Bauza said. "We were surprised by the lack of time we were given to make an appeal. We had half an hour to send the first statement and then we had until 4 a.m. to send the second and that is surprising because FIFA always proceeds with caution."
With Colombia and Chile both winning, Argentina slipped to fifth in the South American qualification race -- with only the top four teams earning an automatic ticket to Russia next summer.
Despite having had his tactics disrupted in the build-up, Bauza admitted his side had under-performed in the first half.
"Bolivia played well. In the second half our team improved slightly,'' he said."But we are still in the fight. And the fight will continue and I am fit for more battles. The players understand what they need to do and we are a united team.
"Now we have to look to what is next. We are still alive and we still want to qualify for the World Cup.
"We know that it will be a difficult struggle and we plan to keep battling."