The assistant coach of Monterrey’s team issued an apology following the emergence of an audio clip in which he referred to Lionel Messi as a ‘possessed dwarf’.
Messi marked his return from injury with a goal on Saturday, but Inter Miami’s match against Colorado Rapids ended in a 2-2 draw at home.
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Nonetheless, Messi’s return was marred by a controversy that arose after Miami’s midweek defeat to Monterrey in the Concacaf Champions Cup, with a score of 2-1.
Messi, despite not being in peak condition, was allegedly part of a post-game altercation with Nico Sanchez, the assistant coach of Monterrey, along with Miami’s coach Tata Martino and other prominent players.
This incident took place following a tense first-leg match in Miami, and Sanchez was later recorded describing the event and directing insults at Messi, the ex-Barcelona star.
‘The dwarf was possessed, he had the face of the devil,’ Sanchez said of Messi in the leaked audio.
‘He put his fist next to my face and said: “Who do you think you are?” But because I didn’t look at him, I was looking away, I never answered back, it made things worse.
‘And Tata Martino, what a poor dummy, I had him in front of me telling me: “Fool, you going to cry? Fool you going to cry?” What a dummy!
‘All those videos, they probably erased them all because it leaves them looking bad. What they did was really serious. They want to dirty the pitch.’
Nico Sanchez has issued a video statement expressing regret over his remarks, although he refrained from directly naming Lionel Messi in his apology.
‘Since I do not know the Inter coach, Gerardo Martino, and I referred to him in a disrespectful manner, and I apologise,’ he said.
‘I am as Argentine as all of them and I will always defend my club. I’m here to show my face and take charge.’
Messi is set to play a crucial role in attempting to reverse his team’s disadvantage during the second-leg encounter scheduled for Wednesday.
