This archive report was first published on 24 July 2019.
On July 24, 2019, Lionel Messi, the captain of Argentina's national soccer team, was involved in a heated exchange with Chile's Gary Medel during the Copa America third-place playoff.
Messi was subsequently shown a red card and fined $1,500 by the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) for his actions.
However, the controversy surrounding the incident did not end there. Messi went on to level accusations of 'corruption' against CONMEBOL, suggesting that the tournament had been fixed in favor of the hosts, Brazil.
CONMEBOL responded to Messi's comments by stating that they were 'unacceptable,' but ultimately decided against imposing a tougher sanction on the five-time world player of the year.
Messi's ban is expected to be served in Argentina's first qualifier for the 2022 World Cup.
Additionally, CONMEBOL removed Claudio Tapia, the head of the Argentine Football Association, as their official representative at FIFA, citing his sharp criticism of the organization during and after the Copa America.
