Tite slams Messi’s ‘Brazil fix’ claim, asks for more respect

Following claims by Lionel Messi that the Copa America had been ‘fixed’ so the hosts would win, Tite — coach of champions Brazil — told the Argentina captain to show some respect.

Though Brazil clinched the Copa at the Maracana on Sunday, Tite felt that his side had been hard done by in some refereeing decisions and said Messi’s words had weighed on the officials.

“He has to show some respect, he must understand and accept when he’s defeated,” said Tite, whose side beat Argentina 2-0 in a controversial semi-final. “We’ve been affected in many matches, even in the World Cup, so be very careful.

“He put a lot of pressure on because of how great a player he is. “Everyone has their own problems and you have to be respectful.”

Messi had hit out at South American football’s governing body Conmebol, accusing them of “corruption” after he was sent off in Saturday’s third place play-off in which Argentina beat Chile 2-1.

He’d also claimed after Argentina’s semi-final defeat that the tournament hosts were “managing a lot in Conmebol these days.”

Argentina had been angered that VAR wasn’t used on two occasions to check the validity of their claims for a penalty that hadn’t been seen by the referee.

Messi was then harshly sent off against Chile following a tangle with Gary Medel in which he seemed to do nothing wrong.

The Barcelona star claimed afterwards he had paid for his previous criticisms.

“My words had repercussions, but you must always be sincere,” he said.

Tite agreed with that, claiming that Peru’s penalty in the final — converted by their captain Paolo Guerrero — should never have been given.

“Today it wasn’t a penalty. You have to be careful and show respect, as we respect others,” said Tite.

Peru coach Ricardo Gareca, who is Argentine, agreed with the his Brazil counterpart.

“Messi is a voice of authority but that doesn’t mean I agree with what he said,” Gareca added.

Agence France-Presse