Monterrey coach apologises after calling Messi ‘possessed dwarf’

Monterrey assistant coach Nico Sánchez apologized after audio was leaked in which he called Lionel Messi a “dwarf” and said Messi had “the face of the devil.”

Monterrey defeated Messi’s Inter Miami 2-1 in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup last week. Before the match, Monterrey head coach Fernando Ortiz said he was concerned about Miami receiving preferential treatment from the match’s referees due to the Argentine’s celebrity status. “Everything surrounding Messi can lead to sporting and non-sporting decisions,” said Ortiz. “I worry about the environment, football is business, business is not like Monterrey.”

Messi did not play in the first leg, but made his return from injury in a 2-2 draw against Colorado Rapids on Saturday.

USA today reported that after the first leg in Miami, a confrontation took place between Messi, Jordi Alba, Luis Suárez and Miami coach Tata Martino in a mixed zone outside the visitors’ dressing room. The argument reportedly stemmed from Miami players approaching game officials in the stadium tunnel after the game. Miami received six yellow cards and one red card during the match, while Monterrey received three bookings.

Audio of Sánchez discussing the locker room confrontation was leaked via Fox Sports MX. “The dwarf was possessed, he had the face of the devil,” Sánchez said. “He put his fist next to my face and said, ‘Who do you think you are?’ But because I wasn’t looking at him, I looked away, I never replied back, it just made things worse.

“And Tata Martino, what a poor dummy, I had him in front of me and said: ‘You fool, are you going to cry? Are you foolish to cry?’ What a dummy! They probably deleted all those videos because they looked bad. What they did was really serious. They want to pollute the field.”

Sánchez apologized to Martino in a video posted on social media. “As I do not know Inter coach Gerardo Martino, I referred to him in a disrespectful manner and I apologize,” Sánchez said. “I am as Argentinian as all of them and I will always defend my club. I am here to show my face and take charge.”

Sánchez did not mention Messi by name in his apology video.

Messi has missed two months of the MLS season due to a hamstring injury. He scored 12 minutes into his return against the Rapids after coming off the bench in the second half and is expected to be available for the second leg against Monterrey in Mexico on Wednesday.