Messi grabbed Uruguayan player by the neck

Argentina captain Lionel Messi grabbed centre-back Mathias Olivera by the neck, during a scuffle during the hosts' loss to Uruguay in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

In the 19th minute, home midfielder Nicolas Gonzalez fell to the ground after being hit in the face by a Uruguayan player. The Argentine players protested but referee Wilmar Roldan did not blow the whistle, allowing play to continue while Gonzalez was still on the ground. The away team also did not kick the ball out of the field, and continued to let midfielder Maximiliano Araujo dribble the ball, causing the home player to get angry and rush forward to foul Araujo from behind. After this situation, players from both teams got into a fight.

Home midfielder Rodrido de Paul rushed forward and pushed Manuel Ugarte hard, then it was the turn of centre-back Olivera to do the same to De Paul. Messi also ran to the hot spot, grabbed Olivera by the neck and pushed him away. Referee Roldan only then intervened, telling Olivera: "Stop it".

Messi (right) grabbed defender Mathias Olivera by the neck during Argentina's 0-2 loss to Uruguay at La Bombonera Stadium, Buenos Aires, in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in South America on the evening of November 16, 2023. Photo: Ole

The Colombian referee did not show any cards after this scuffle, and VAR did not intervene in Messi's actions. In a similar situation in the Premier League, midfielder Casemiro received a direct red card when Man Utd met Crystal Palace on February 4, 2023.

Ugarte then provoked De Paul in a later situation, using obscene words and gestures to imply that the Argentine midfielder would do whatever Messi asked. After the first half, coach Marcelo Bielsa took Ugarte off the field to avoid causing further trouble. Uruguay won 2-0 on aggregate thanks to goals from Ronald Araujo and Darwin Nunez.

After the match, Messi said that such clashes were normal in South American football, and that Uruguay "always played like that". The 36-year-old superstar also said that Uruguay's young players should respect their seniors. "The matches between Uruguay and Argentina are always very tense, but there is a lot of respect," Messi added. "The young Uruguayan players need to learn more."

De Paul refused to mention the incident, saying he only wanted to talk about football. "The scuffles that happen on the pitch will end after the match," he said.

Messi has received three red cards in his career, twice with Argentina and once with Barca. He was sent off in his first match for the national team in August 2005. At the Copa America in June 2019, he received a controversial straight red card, after a scuffle with centre-back Gary Medel in the third-place match. The last time he was sent off was for a hit on an Athletic Bilbao player in the Spanish Super Cup final on January 17, 2021.

Hoang An

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