Monterrey assistant explains Lionel Messi confrontation

Rayados have filed a complaint to CONCACAF after an incident involving Messi and Gerardo Martino at Chase Park.

Monterrey secured a vital CONCACAF Champions Cup victory over Inter Miami at Chase Park on Thursday, defeating the MLS side 2-1 to take control of the quarter-final tie. However, the match was overshadowed somewhat by Lionel Messi and Gerardo “Tata” Martino getting involved in a heated exchange with Rayados players coaching staff at full-time, which has prompted the Liga MX side to file a formal complaint to CONCACAF.

Nico Sánchez, assistant to Monterrey coach Fernando Ortiz, claimed he came face to face with the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star in the tunnel but stopped short of getting into a fight. “If Messi wanted to fight me...I don’t think he would have wanted to hit me because if he did, he would have actually hit me. I was a centimetre away, he put his fist on the side of my face. I think he was looking for a  reaction more than to hit me”, Sánchez began.

“At half-time, Messi went down to the locker room and I saw him but I couldn’t speak to him. In any case, it was half time. When the game ended, we went down to the locker room, we were there before our players and the Inter Miami players. To make matters worse, the two locker rooms are directly opposite one another, so our paths were going to cross no matter what. When I got to the door, I saw Messi, who was three metres away from me. There was also a security guard was and another person, an Argentine, who must work at Inter. I don’t know what he does but he is always with Messi,” he explained.

“I politely approached Messi for a photo but the security guard stopped me, but in a pleasant manner. I think Messi was furious, the referees came