Lionel Messi was shown only the second red card of his career as Argentina beat Chile 2-1 in a hot-tempered Copa America third-place play-off. Messi, who has never been sent off for Barcelona, and whose only other red card was on his international debut 14 years ago, was shown a red following a clash with Gary Medel, which also saw the Chile player dismissed.
It seemed harsh on Messi, who in the replays of the incident did not appear to respond aggressively to Medel's action. Messi was clearly furious with referee Mario Diaz de Vivar’s decision after the game and refused to emerge for the post-match medal presentation. He even suggested the Copa America was ‘corrupt’ and that referee decisions had favoured hosts Brazil’s during the competition.
There is no doubt, the whole thing is set up for Brazil," Messi said on Saturday evening. "I did not want to be part of this corruption, we shouldn't have to be part of this disrespect we suffered during the Copa America. We could have gone further but we weren't allowed into the final. Corruption, referees and all the rest stopped people from enjoying the football,” he added.
Medel also offered his views on the red card after the match and concurred with Messi that the 32-year-old had been harshly treated with the dismissal. “I agree with Messi, didn’t even think we’d get a yellow for it,” the Besiktas man told La Nacion. “There were a few shoves but that was it. The referee could’ve handled that a lot better.”
