This archive report was first published on 8 October 2019.
Lionel Messi's Claim Fails to Save Ousmane Dembele from Red Card ¶
Barcelona ace Lionel Messi's attempt to defend his teammate Ousmane Dembele's Spanish speaking skills failed to save him from a red card during a match against Sevilla on October 6, 2019.
Dembele was sent off for dissent after he seemingly issued gestures to referee Antonio Mateu, according to Marca's report of the Spanish referee's report for the game.
However, Messi was seen trying to viciously defend the forward's case by claiming that Dembele couldn't speak Spanish, a claim that ultimately failed to save him from the red card.
Footage of the incident has since emerged, showing Messi walking up to the referee and telling him, 'he (Dembele) doesn't speak Spanish' - meaning there was no way the Frenchman could have criticised the ref's decisions.
Team mate Luis Suarez was seen in stitches as Messi tried to argue Dembele's case, while Dembele himself might have scored in Barca's rout against Sevilla, but he was also dismissed for dissent.
Dembele joined Barcelona from German outfit Borussia Dortmund for a then record fee of €105 million plus a reported €40 million add-ons, and following the red card, he is now a major doubt for the first el Classico of the season slated for October 26.
