Lionel Messi is alleged to have called referee Anderson Daronco a “coward” after confronting the official during Argentina’s surprise defeat to Paraguay in Thursday’s World Cup qualifier.
Messi captained La Albiceleste in the match at the Estadio Defensores del Chaco.
Argentina took the lead through Lautaro Martínez just 11 minutes in, but Paraguay quickly responded.
Antonio Sanabria equalised with a stunning bicycle kick, and Omar Alderete netted the winner shortly after the break.
Despite dominating possession with 77 percent, Argentina were unable to recover from Alderete’s goal, suffering their third defeat of the qualification campaign.
Lionel Messi played the full 90 minutes, but his frustrations boiled over just before halftime.
Broadcasters captured the Argentine captain confronting Daronco over his failure to penalize Alderete for a series of aggressive tackles.
Messi was seen wagging his finger in the referee’s face.
The Inter Miami forward is also reported to have said, “You are a coward, I don’t like you,” as he voiced his dissatisfaction.
Messi’s performance was disappointing by his standards, as he only had three touches in the opposition box and failed to register a shot on target.
Argentina struggled to break down Paraguay’s resilient defense after Alderete’s strike, despite controlling the majority of possession.
The loss leaves Argentina at the top of the South American qualification group, three points ahead of second-placed Colombia.
They will face second-bottom Peru on Tuesday night, aiming to bounce back from the defeat.
However, despite Thursday’s setback, Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni refused to criticise his players, praising their efforts in a difficult match.
“I’m not here to criticize my players, I’m here to support them. We knew it was going to be a tough game. We’re here to keep going and give confidence to many of the new players,” Scaloni said.
“We played well in the first half, but the first action at the start of the second made things difficult.
“We have to congratulate our opponents, who defended very well. We are playing and we hope to get back on track.
“The team always tries, it stands up for itself in the matches.
“The players don’t give up on a ball. We will then analyse what we can do better.
“Peru will be a completely different rival, but it is also difficult. We are going to prepare well and hopefully we can bring joy to the fans.
“We’re looking to have depth with the arrival of Garnacho.
“He’s good at playing these kinds of games. Castellanos’s arrival was good, he has interesting moves and we’re happy he’s with us. We trust in what we have been doing.”
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