Lionel Messi has taken a stand against Brazil winger Rodrygo’s recent accusations of Argentina being ‘cowards’ for leaving the field in response to the attack on their fans by the police before the World Cup qualifier on Tuesday. The disturbing scenes at the Maracana, which saw the police charge at visiting supporters during the Brazilian national anthem, resulted in injuries and the need for medical attention. In an attempt to ease the tension, the Argentina players rushed over to the away end, with goalkeeper Emi Martinez even attempting to disarm a policeman. Ultimately, Messi led his team off the pitch and back to the dressing room, unequivocally stating, ‘We’re leaving. We can’t play in these circumstances.’ After a prolonged delay, the Argentina team returned to the pitch, but the tense atmosphere had overflowed onto the field, leading to a dispute between Real Madrid’s Rodrygo and Atletico’s Rodrigo De Paul over the decision to go back to the dressing room.
Messi intervened, but the situation escalated, with Rodrygo reportedly calling the Argentina team ‘cowards’. The Inter Miami playmaker, in response, confronted Rodrygo and asserted, ‘We are the world champions! Why are we cowards? Watch your mouth.’ As Messi prepared to leave, Rodrygo attempted to continue the altercation but was led away by De Paul, with other players and staff becoming involved in the altercation.
The match eventually began, resulting in an intense game, with Nicolas Otamendi scoring the only goal and Joelinton receiving a red card for an outburst at De Paul. Argentina’s 1-0 victory marked Brazil’s first home World Cup qualifier defeat and their third consecutive loss, leaving them in sixth place in the standings, eight points behind leaders Argentina.
Messi, when asked about the unsavoury scenes and the decision to leave the field, informed reporters, ‘We witnessed the police striking people, including some of our families also present. This has also occurred in the Libertadores final here too. They are more concerned with that than the game. We are a family. Heading to the locker room was the best way to calm things down; a tragedy could have occurred today.’ Adding to the drama, manager Lionel Scaloni, who guided the team to victory at the World Cup in Qatar, revealed that he was considering resigning – a revelation that stunned the Argentina squad.