Referee Explains How He Favoured Argentina in Copa America to Get Messi’s Shirt

• A former referee has openly admitted to requesting Lionel Messi's Argentina jersey during a Copa America match
• The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner led Argentina to another Copa America triumph, adding yet another laurel to his trophy cabinet
• Considered by many the greatest footballer of all time, Messi is now the most decorated player in history

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Argentina successfully defended their Copa America trophy, beating Colombia in the July 14 final at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

Lionel Messi led La Albiceleste to win the continental title, his fourth international trophy.

The South American powerhouse retained the title they won in Brazil three years ago after beating Colombia in the final.

It was Messi's 45th career trophy, extending his lead as the most decorated footballer, per Goal.

The 17-year-old previously achieved the record when he won his 44th trophy—the 2023 League Cup with Miami.

Referee confesses favouring Messi's Argentina

Two months after Messi celebrated lifting his second Copa America trophy with Argentina, former FIFA referee Carlos Chandia disclosed that he had favoured the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner in the 2007 Copa America semifinals in return for his jersey.

During that tournament, Argentina had an impressive journey, with Messi playing alongside notable talents such as Carlos Tevez and Juan Román Riquelme as they aimed for their first continental title in 14 years.

With 16 goals scored and just 3 conceded, Argentina faced Mexico in the semifinals, officiated by Chilean referee Chandia. Years later, Chandia admitted to giving Argentina the benefit of the doubt in a controversial play involving the Barcelona legend.

"Out of nowhere, Messi handled the ball at midfield, but there was no scoring opportunity for the Mexican team or anything significant," Chandia recalled to ESPN FShow in Chile via Bolavip.

"I told him, 'This should be a yellow card, but it’ll cost you your jersey.' So, I didn’t book him. There were only two and a half minutes left, and the score was 3-0."

The Chilean referee later explained the reasoning behind his controversial choice:

"Giving Messi a yellow card would have cost him the chance to play in the Copa América final. Ironically, that decision ended up costing me the opportunity to officiate the 2007 Copa América final in Venezuela."

Messi honoured the referee's request

"After the game, Messi fulfilled his promise and left the jersey for me in the dressing room. He actually offered to take it off on the field, but I told him, 'No, no, no; take it to the dressing room.' And sure enough, he brought it there and left it for me."

Following this incident, Messi was cleared to play in the Copa América final against Brazil.

However, the match didn't go as Argentina had hoped, as La Albiceleste suffered a 3-0 defeat to the Seleção, leaving Messi without a trophy.

How much Shakira earned for singing in Copa America final

Legit.ng also reported how much Shakira was paid for Copa America's final performance.

The Colombian pop star entertained fans in Miami during the half-time break of the match between Argentina and her native country.

The half-time was extended by 25 minutes to accommodate the performance.