Some time ago, the former Chilean referee assured that in the middle of the semi-final of the 2007 Copa America, he had agreed not to warn the Argentine star so that he would receive his shirt. The situation has provoked reactions from the other side of the mountain range.
A few weeks ago, Carlos Chandia He made an unusual confession. The former professional referee revealed he avoided showing Lionel Messi a yellow card in order to get his t-shirt.
The situation occurred in the semi-final of the 2007 Copa America in Venezuela, where the Albiceleste beat Mexico and qualified for the final, where they ended up losing 3-0 to Brazil.
In the match valid for the round of the four best, Chandía recounted how he negotiated with the transandean star to get his jersey. The recalled national judge even acknowledged that it ended up harming him.Messi had a hard time not refereeing the 2007 Copa America final, which was held in Venezuela. He was one yellow card away from missing the final “, he began by emphasizing in a dialogue with ESPN.
“ANDor three minutes into added time, Argentina was winning 3-0 against Mexico. Messi picks up a ball that came out of nowhere and cuts it with his hand, in the middle of the field “, continued the current mayor of Coihueco.
The negotiation with Messi and the reactions
Chandía explained that, in his opinion, the play did not deserve a warning, but he used it to get the shirt back.There was no chance of scoring a goal for Mexico or anything like that. So I told him, ‘This play is for the yellows, but it’s going to cost you your jersey.’ “I didn’t show him the yellow card, there were two and a half minutes left, they were winning 3-0,” he said.
“Showing him the yellow card cut off his chance of playing in the Copa America final. “So that yellow card made it difficult for me not to referee the final of this Copa America,” the former referee added.
Chandía has finally provided more details on how the left-hander put the jersey back on.Messi then left it for me in the locker room. He even wanted to take it out on the pitch and I told him ‘no, no, no; take it to the locker room.’ And he came to the locker room with the shirt, he left it for me there. ” he said.
The confessions took time, but they generated reactions. A few weeks later, in Argentina, they spoke about what had happened. The media TyC Sports, for example, pointed out: “The greatness of Lionel Messi generates in its wake all kinds of anecdotes, but now Former Chilean referee caught out by one that exceeds the limits of his own responsibilities “He admitted that he had not sent him off from a match to allow him to play in the final later, and that in exchange he had asked for his jersey.”
Clarín, for his part, classified Chandía’s lyrics as a “incredible confession ” And “a confession that sparked controversy “. “Chandia acknowledged that he was influenced by the impact that Messi was already beginning to generate in the world of football at the age of 20. . Aware of the figure that Messi represented, the referee acknowledged having acted with greater “flexibility” towards him. According to Chandia, in pressure situations, referees usually make difficult decisions in a matter of seconds, and on this occasion, his admiration for Messi could have conditioned his judgment,” added the aforementioned media.
Messi would play the final, but without luck. The Brazilian team won comfortably 3-0 and would be crowned in Maracaibo. It would be the first final lost for the star, who, at the end of his career, would end up winning all the possible titles with the Albiceleste. Chandía, meanwhile, retired in 2009. He is currently 59 years old and is the mayor of Coihueco, a town in the Ñuble region.
Source: Latercera
I’m Scott Moore, a professional writer and journalist based in the US. I’ve been writing for various publications for over 8 years now, and have been working as an author at athletistic for the past five years. My work has been featured by some of the leading sports websites and magazines across Europe.
