‘This is not the way we play’: The moment Messi quits the team after brutal crackdown on Argentina fans

Amid brutal crackdown on Argentina fans ahead of World Cup Brazil vs Argentina match sixth date South American Qualifiers for him 2026 world cup, it was captain Messi who ordered his teammates to leave the Maracana Stadium. The start of the Classic was delayed due to a brutal police attack.

Argentinian fans reacted to Brazilian insults during the national anthem and police began attacking visiting supporters.Security forces attack members of the public during stampede albiceleste Players led by Messi also approached the stands to calm the situation. However, the public crackdown continued, at which point Lionel Messi was ordered off the pitch. “We don’t play like that. We’re leaving,” the Argentina captain said.

A few hours before the meeting, the weather was bad. As fans of the two teams mingled, there was a flurry of tension when flags placed by local torchbearers in the area where fans of the visiting team were staying.

The organization made a serious mistake by not placing Argentinian fans in a specific area separate from the rest of the local public. For example, in international club tournaments such as the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana, away fans are often placed in differentiated areas based on the opponent they face.

Bad weather continued and Argentinian players did not want to attend the match in protest at police crackdowns on visiting fans, while some Brazilian players remained on the pitch.Faced with this situation, Messi himself reacted and approached the Brazilian captain Marquinhos, his former team-mate at Paris Saint-Germain.Was also rodrigo, he said something to Messi, then he grabbed him by the neck and spoke first in his ear. Then he covered his mouth and spoke to her again. Rosario’s anger came as Real Madrid players tried to start the game at all costs, despite what was still happening in the stands.

Then, Messi again with Marquinhos After the panoramic experience of the last game and the dialogue in which the Chilean referee also participated Piero Massathe decision starts from the meeting.

Against this difficult background, the match started at the Sanctuary of Rio de Janeiro, where friction arose in the first few minutes and forced an early end. Messi He seemed to hit it off and met again rodrigo

.

The atmosphere was not right and the attack on an Argentinian fan tarnished a South American classic that had promised to be a party, but the incidents created an important stain. This happened just weeks before the Copa Libertadores final, when Boca Juniors fans were also attacked on a beach in Rio de Janeiro. The behavior of the local police at the time was also questioned.