Argentina captain, Lionel Messi
is likely to face a two-year ban from international football, over comments he
made after their win over Chile in the Copa America third-place playoff, the UK
Mirror reports.
Messi and his team-mates lost to
rivals Brazil in the semi-final. The hosts went on to defeat Peru in Sunday’s
final.
Messi was sent off in the
third-place playoff following a tussle Chile’s Gary Medel, in which the former
Cardiff midfielder appeared to be the aggressor.
But the referee gave both players
their marching orders and the Barcelona superstar stated afterwards: “There is
no doubt, the whole thing is set up for Brazil. I hope the VAR and referees
don’t play any part in the final and that Peru can compete but it looks tough
to me.
“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.
“I always tell the truth and I’m
honest, that is what keeps me calm, if what I say has repercussions that is not
my business.
“I think that what happened is
because of what I said [against Brazil].
“What I said last time perhaps
came back to haunt me. With a yellow card that was the end of it.”
CONMEBOL regulations prohibit
“insulting in any means or manner CONMEBOL, its institutions or personnel”, an
offence that carries a ban of up to two years.
A two-year suspension would see
Messi miss qualification for the 2022 World Cup, as well as the Copa America
next year in Argentina and Colombia.
CONMEBOL released a statement of
their own following Messi’s comment, branding it “unacceptable”.
The statement continued: “Said
accusations represent a lack of respect for the competition, all the football
players involved and the hundreds of professionals of CONMEBOL, institution
that since 2016 has been tirelessly working to transparent, professionalize and
develop South American football.”
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