Thursday, July 8, 2021 at 12:39• Rian Rosendaal • Last update: 12:52

José Luis Chilavert warns Lionel Messi ahead of Sunday’s Copa América final between Brazil and Argentina. The former goalkeeper of the Paraguay national team, with 78 caps to his name, thinks the Argentines are at a considerable disadvantage due to the fact that the final battle will be played at the Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

“Messi and his teammates must not only win against the Brazilian team and Neymar, but also against the VAR and the referee,” Chilavert concluded in an interview with Radio Continental. “I really hope that Messi can break through three or four times and score three or four times. But if there are doubts in the arbitration, then Brazil will certainly be favored as the host country. Messi will have to be a genius, he and his teammates really have to play at a thousand percent”, the former closing post gives to the Argentine formation.

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Messi made clear statements about the arbitration during the Copa América in 2019. The attacker was then sent off with a red card for a foul on Chile’s Gary Medel in the third place match. Messi was so angry that he refused to collect his medal afterwards. “We must not get involved in this corrupt way of doing things,” he grumbled. “During this Copa América we were treated with disrespect. We could have done better, but reaching the final proved to be impossible for us. Due to corruption and the referees, it is not possible for the fans to enjoy the football this way. football will be ruined.”

After the semi-final, in which the Argentines lost to Brazil, Messi had already complained about the way of whistling at the Copa América. “Maybe my words played a role today,” he said after his red card against Chile. “A yellow card would have been enough for both players,” Messi referred to the red cards for himself and Medel. The playmaker did not regret his criticism, saying that “the truth had to come out.” In a response from the South American Football Association CONMEBOL, Messi was quickly contradicted.

“These are unacceptable accusations that are based on nothing,” a statement said at the time. “In football you sometimes win and sometimes you lose. One of the fundamental pillars of the Fair Play principle is that as a player you accept every result and also be at peace with the referee’s decisions.” The final between Brazil and Argentina starts at 02.00 Dutch time, in the night from Saturday to Sunday.