Copa America 2019: Gary Medel comes out in support of Lionel Messi after double red card controversy
What's the story?
Chile captain Gary Medel has come out in support of his Argentine counterpart Lionel Messi after both players were given the marching orders during their Copa America third-place play-off on Saturday.
In case you didn't know
Argentina and Chile went head-to-head in a hot-tempered clash which saw the Albiceleste establish a 2-1 win over Reinaldo Rueda's men. Goals from Sergio Aguero and Paulo Dybala secured a third-place finish for Lionel Scaloni's side, in a Copa America edition that has been marred by controversial decisions and complaints.
One of the major talking points from the game is undoubtedly the controversial red cards shown to Medel and Messi after an altercation took place between the two captains in the first half.
In a game where tension was already building up, things escalated when Messi appeared to lightly nudge Medel in a bid to challenge for the ball. The Chile skipper responded by aggressively pushing the Barcelona talisman multiple times before the match official interfered and dismissed them both.
Messi, who managed an assist during the game, slammed the decisions made in this year's edition of the Copa America and alleged that everything was set up for Brazil to win. He further refused to join his teammates on the podium when they were receiving their bronze medals.
The 32-year-old had previously expressed his disappointment with the refereeing decisions during Argentina's semi-final loss to Brazil last week, accusing match officials of being biased.
The heart of the matter
After the game, Medel put aside his on-field clash with Messi to agree with the Argentine's opinion on refereeing decisions during the game.
He said, "I agree with Messi, didn’t even think we’d get a yellow for it. There were a few shoves but that was it, the referee could’ve handled that a lot better."
What's next?
The 2019 Copa America will conclude with a much-awaited final between Brazil and Peru later today.