Former Chilean Referee: I Deliberately Shielded Messi from a Card to Get His Shirt

According to The Sun, former Chilean referee Carlos Chandia admitted that he once offered not to show a red card in exchange for the valuable shirt of football superstar Lionel Messi.

Chandia officiated the 2007 Copa America semifinal match between Argentina and Mexico. In that game, Argentina took a 3-0 lead over Mexico thanks to goals by Heinze, Riquelme, and Messi. However, had Messi been sent off with a red card, it would have been a huge blow for Argentina going into the final.

Towards the end of the match, a turning point occurred: Messi handled the ball in midfield. Given that he had already received a yellow card, most people thought Chandia would issue a second yellow, thereby sending Messi off.

However, Chandia made an extraordinary decision. He had a “negotiation” with Messi, proposing that if Messi agreed to give him his shirt after the game, he would not show the yellow card, allowing Messi to continue playing through to the final.

Chandia recalled on ESPN’s program FShow: “At that moment, Messi suddenly handled the ball, but it was in the midfield area, and Mexico did not have a clear goal-scoring opportunity. So I told him, ‘This foul should have earned you a yellow card, but if you are willing to exchange your shirt for it, I won’t show the yellow card.’

Messi agreed to this proposal and kept his word after the match. Chandia added: “After the game, Messi gave me his shirt in the locker room. Actually, he wanted to give it to me right on the field, but I told him, ‘No, no, no, go to the locker room.’ So Messi went to the locker room with his shirt and left it for me.”

Chandia later revealed that he had given that precious shirt to his son.

Moreover, Chandia also mentioned that his decision not to show Messi a yellow card might have angered the Brazilian side, possibly leading to him not being selected as the referee for the Copa America final. However, this decision did not directly affect the outcome of the final, where Argentina ultimately lost 0-3 to Brazil, who won the championship with goals from Baptista, Roberto Ayala (own goal), and Alves.