News : Copa América – Messi rages like Maradona – sports

And then came the moment when Lionel Messi turned into Diego Maradona. Not on the lawn, where he has already done that every now and then, he has imitated the one or other gate of the Argentine myth. But beyond that. Argentina had just finished third to the Copa América with a 2-1 win over Chile, won in an expectably tough game, after all, the finalists of the past two South American championships faced each other.

But the bronze medal did not pick up Messi. For all sorts of reasons, as he himself said - before he struck in the style of Maradona to the all-out shock against the powerful of football: "We must not be part of this corruption, this disrespect to the entire Copa," said Messi, meaning the South American Confederation Conmebol. "The corruption, the referees, all these things prevent people from participating in football, at the show, it ruins everything a bit," added Messi.

Current occasion for Messis Suada offered the absurd red card he had seen. It was the second relegation of his career. The first was missed by Markus Merk from Kaiserslautern on his debut for Argentina in Hungary, less than two minutes after his substitution, and she was also absurd. This time, in Porto Alegre, 37 minutes had passed, as Messi delivered a duel with Gery Medel at the baseline near the Chilean goal. Messi easily gave Medel one, and Medel became a "pit bull" (that's what he likes to call). Three times, Medel thrust his chest at Messi's, covering him with curses, but Messi stopped.

"The referee wanted to be more important than the spectacle"

Then the Paraguayan referee came in - and showed both red. Later, Messi struck the bow to the semi-final against Brazil, where the video referee had not intervened, Brazil defeated 2-0 and Messi the South American Federation Conmebol had been blamed for blaming. "I think I've been charged for that now," Messi said, "with a yellow card, everything would have been done."

As a matter of fact. Medel saw it so, his Chilean compatriot Arturo Vidal also. "The referee wanted to be more important than the spectacle," Vidal said. "How can that be to get the two captains off just because they're pushing a bit?" Conmebol published a communiqué rejecting Messi's criticism as "unacceptable", "sometimes you win, sometimes you lose."

Messi had long gone one step further. He said that "everything" was designed for Brazil to win the Copa América. He has no doubt that the home side will win the title. That is what Messi said in a small circle - long before the start of the Copa. And the corruption stories around the South American Association invite you to believe Messi's words. For Messi and Argentina, the red card is in perspective a bad news and a good news: He must serve the lock in the World Cup qualifier. The good: Argentina will be co-hosting the next Copa América (2020) with Colombia. And logic and experience say that Argentina will then also benefit from favors.