Lionel Messi was called a 'possessed dwarf' with the 'devil face' during a confrontation with Monterrey coach Nico Sanchez.
The eight-time Ballon d'Or did not participate in the first leg of the quarter-final of the CONCACAF Champions Cup played by Inter Miami against the Mexican team.
La Pulga, however, was part of a group – including Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Tata Martino – who clashed with the opposing team's players and coaches after Monterrey's 2-1 win at Chase Stadium.
“He had the face of the devil”
Messi and his teammates reportedly headed to the room where the match officials are, after disputing a number of important decisions. Fernando Ortiz, Monterrey coach, was criticized for his pre-match comments, in which he suggested that Inter Miami would benefit from favorable decisions if their iconic number 10 played.
In the wake of this argument, a recording was broadcast by FOX Sports MX, in which Sanchez states: “The dwarf was possessed, he had the face of the devil. He put his fist next to my face and said, “Who do you think you are?” But when I didn't look at him, I looked away, I never responded, it only made things worse. And Tata Martino, what a poor bastard, I had him in front of me saying: “Idiot, are you going to cry? Stupid, are you going to cry? What an idiot! They probably deleted all these videos because they made them look bad. What they did is really serious. They want to dirty the ground.”
