Lionel Messi furiously calls referee a ‘mean-spirited son of a B****’ after Inter Miami’s 1-1 draw with Charlotte… but escapes a red card despite the heated post-match tirade
- Inter Miami was drawn by Charlotte for the third time in a row on Saturday
- Lionel Messi was dissatisfied after his team was ultimately not awarded a penalty
- LISTEN NOW: It all starts!available wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Monday and Thursday
Lionel Messi was involved in a heated altercation with the referee after Inter Miami’s latest draw.
Miami was held to a 1-1 draw by Charlotte on Saturday night, their third straight deadlock.
Charlotte had taken the lead in the 56th minute through a deflected goal before Messi leveled his side with an excellent finish ten minutes later.
Late in the match the visitors had a goal disallowed for offside and a flurry of chances followed after the referee added nine minutes of stoppage time.
Charlotte forward Kerwin Vargas missed a glorious chance in the 96th minute, curling an effort wide of the post.
Lionel Messi was involved in an altercation with the referee after Inter Miami’s final draw
The Argentinian striker is said to have told the referee: ‘You are a mean-spirited son of ab****’
In the 102nd minute, Messi threw the ball over six defenders and towards Jordi Alba, who headed the ball to Luis Suarez.
However, the Uruguayan striker failed to score from just a few yards out, firing the ball over the crossbar before rolling on the ground in pain after colliding with goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina.
Messi was left seething in the aftermath as he felt his team should have ultimately been awarded a penalty.
He approached the referee and according to ‘Ole’ via Mundo Deportivosaid to him: ‘You are a mean-spirited son of ab****.’
The former Barcelona and PSG striker escaped a send-off and was shown a yellow card even though the match had ended.
Despite three draws in a row, Miami is close to winning the Supporters’ Shield.
Luis Suarez missed a glorious close-range opportunity in the final moment of the match
Messi leveled his side with an excellent finish ten minutes after Charlotte had taken the lead
They remain atop the Eastern Conference and are eight points ahead of the second-placed Columbus Crew with three games remaining.
The top two will meet when Miami visits Lowe.com Field on Wednesday evening (local time).
