WATCH: Lionel Messi fight with referee Anderson Daronco after Argentina lose 2-1 to Paraguay
Argentina fell to a 2-1 defeat against Paraguay in the CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifiers on November 15 but the main talking point has been the Lionel Messi fight.
The visitors’ captain was seen having heated words with match referee Anderson Daronco as videos of the incident emerged in the aftermath of the game.
Expert lip-readers from across the globe who were keen to decipher the cause of this incident have decoded was said during the Lionel Messi fight. As per reports, the Argentine superstar said,
“You are sh*t, a coward, I don’t like you!”
Using such language against match officials could land players or coaches in hot water and Messi may fall into trouble regarding the same. FIFA may step in to take action against him, or at the minimum, he could be fined by Argentina’s football association.
Argentina suffers third defeat in the wake of Lionel Messi fight
Currently sitting atop the CONMEBOL Qualifiers table with 22 points from 11 games, Argentina national football team were the favourites to win the match against Paraguay. The visitors even grabbed the lead in the 11th minute as Lautaro Martinez of Inter Milan got on the scoresheet.
However, hosts Paraguay and their fans were determined to stand up to the defending world champions. They levelled the game in the 19th minute courtesy of Antonio Sanabria, with the match taking a slightly aggressive turn after that.
There were a total of 26 fouls committed between the two nations, with 17 of them being committed by the hosts. However, just three players were booked from Paraguay, and one player from Argentina.
It seems likely that the cause of the Lionel Messi fight was the player taking objection against the referee’s lenient approach to the game. Tackles were flying in and players were at the risk of being injured but Daronco stood his ground and stuck to his calls.
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