“There could have been a tragedy”, Lionel Messi looks back on the incidents which marked Brazil-Argentina

If Argentina won in Brazil (1-0) on Tuesday evening, the clash between the two best enemies in South America was unfortunately the scene of violence between supporters in the stands. At the time of the anthems, clashes broke out between Brazilians and Argentines, forcing the police to intervene. The kick-off was delayed by around thirty minutes while the Albiceleste players, led by Lionel Messi, threatened at one point not to play the match. Questioned on Wednesday by Argentine television, the eight-time Ballon d'Or returned to these minutes of chaos at the Maracana in Rio.

“We saw how they hit people, like what happened during the final of the Copa Libertadores match where the police hit with sticks,” lamented “la Pulga”, angry at the welcome given to the Argentine fans. There were players who had families in these stands. You think about your family, you don’t know what’s going on and you’re more focused on that than the game.”

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The former PSG player also revealed that he was behind his team's decision to return to the locker room, to wait for the situation to calm down. “I decided we had to go back to the locker room because that was the way to calm everything down. There could have been a tragedy, he explained. When everything calmed down, we decided to go in, ask how the family was doing, find out a little about everything. Then we went out to play.”

On the pitch, Argentina defeated Brazil after a choppy match, during which Messi did not really shine. “I have time to recover and start the year well. I'm going to prepare myself for a big year, with a good preseason from scratch. I have had discomfort in my adductor muscles for some time, confided the current Inter Miami striker, who congratulated himself on the victory on his Instagram account despite the events. “This team continues to write its history. Great victory at the Maracana even if it was marked by the repression of the Argentines once again in Brazil. It’s impossible to tolerate this, it’s crazy and it has to stop now!!”