Copa America: AFA reportedly asks CONMEBOL to overturn Lionel Messi's red card earned during Argentina-Chile playoff
What's the story?
The Argentina Football Association (AFA) reportedly want the South American football governing body, CONMEBOL, to rescind the red card that Lionel Messi received during Argentina's Copa America third-place playoff against Chile earlier this month.
In case you didn't know...
Messi was given the marching orders after an altercation with Gary Medel during the Copa America third-place clash between Argentina and Chile on July 5. It marked the Argentine's first red card for club and country since his national debut in 2005.
Messi appeared to lightly nudge Medel during a challenge for the ball in the first half, prompting the Chilean to aggressively push the forward multiple times. Many fans believe the Argentine ace did not deserve the red card as he was seen with his arms up in the air throughout the confrontation.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner was so frustrated following the decision that he went on to boycott the medal ceremony. He later accused the CONMEBOL of corruption and favouritism, insisting that the tournament was set up for Brazil to win.
The red card took significance owing to the Barcelona captain's previous comments on the refereeing decisions following the Albiceleste's loss to Brazil in the semi-finals. The 32-year-old accused the match officials of favouring the Selecao throughout the game and making decisions that were against his side.
The heart of the matter
According to La Nacion, the AFA have sent in a letter to CONMEBOL, asking them to overturn the referee's decision to hand Messi the red card.
The newspaper claims that the letter, which was also signed by Messi, argues that the Argentina skipper did not deserve the red card, adding that a yellow card would have sufficed.
The AFA further told CONMEBOL that if a ban is still to be maintained, Messi should receive the minimum punishment which is a mandatory one-game ban.
What's next?
It was widely reported that Messi could face a two-year ban from international football, missing the World Cup qualifiers in the process, but it remains to be seen if this will actually materialise. The Barcelona captain will face Chelsea on the 23rd in a pre-season friendly.