It has been revealed that Lionel Messi once struck a mid-game shirt deal with a Copa America referee that allowed him to avoid a ban for the final.
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Article continues below
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- Chasing continental glory back in 2007
- Handball threatened to earn costly caution
- Spared suspension but missed out on title
- Getty
WHAT HAPPENED?
Back in 2007, Messi formed part of the Argentina squad chasing down continental glory in Venezuela. The Albiceleste proved too strong for Mexico at the semi-final stage, as they built a commanding 3-0 lead, but a rash handball in the closing stages threatened to cost Messi a caution and subsequent suspension.
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WHAT REFEREE SAID
Rather than hand out a yellow card, match official Carlos Chandia has revealed how he reached an agreement with Messi that stood to benefit all parties. He has told : “Out of nowhere, Messi lifts a ball and touches it with his hand, but in the middle of the pitch. There was no goal-scoring chance for the Mexican team or anything like that. So, I told him: 'This is a yellow card, but it will cost you your jersey,' and I didn’t show him the yellow card. There were two-and-a-half minutes left, and the score was 3-0. Showing him a yellow card would would have taken away his chance of playing in the Copa America final.”
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
Messi honoured his promise behind the scenes afterwards, with Chandia adding on clearing the path for a future all-time great to line up against arch-rivals Brazil in an eagerly-anticipated final: “He gave me the shirt in the dressing room afterwards. In fact, he wanted to take it off on the pitch and I told him: 'No, no, no, no; take it to the dressing room'. And he came to the dressing room with the jersey and left it there for me.”
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DID YOU KNOW?
Chandia admitted back in 2020 that he is no longer in possession of the famous jersey, telling TNT Chile of why his agreement cost him a shot at refereeing a showpiece event in South America: “I don’t remember the number, but I remember the smell. Not the best. My son has it now, he keeps it. The truth is that I think that because I didn’t give him the yellow card, Brazilians ended up saying something and that’s why I wasn’t the main referee of the Copa America final.”
