Monterrey coach Nico Sanchez has issued an apology after calling out Lionel Messi in a barbed rant which reportedly included him calling the Argentine hero a 'dwarf' with the 'face of the devil'.
The Mexican giants defeated Inter Miami 2-1 in their first leg meeting in the Concacaf Champions Cup last week, with the clash mired by the controversial war of words which had taken place around the game. Coming into the tie, the Rayados manager Fernando Ortiz also appeared to accuse refereeing officials of preferential treatment in the favour of legendary forward Messi.
However, arguably the most striking outburst came via a leaked rant via assistant coach Sanchez, who gave an account of a supposed skirmish with the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner and his teammates. According to USA Today, an audio clip recorded in the Monterrey locker room was first sent to the former's friends before it was leaked.
Sanchez allegedly posited that Messi was joined by colleagues Jordi Alba, Luis Suarez and Miami head coach Tata Martino in the tunnel following a tense affair on the pitch. During a hotly-contested encounter, they appeared to take issue with the officiating, after the Herons picked up some six bookings and a red card in the clash.
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Giving an account of the scenes following the game in the mixed zone, Sanchez allegedly said on the recording, which was heard by Fox Sports MX: "Messi wanted to fight me. I don't think he wanted to hit me because he would have done it. He had me a centimetre away. He put his fist next to my face. I think he was looking for my reaction more than hitting me."
"The dwarf was possessed, he had the face of the devil," he controversially said - according to the report - in a comment that drew much consternation. "He put his fist next to my face and says: ‘Who do you think you are?’ But because I didn’t look at him, I was looking away, I never answered back, it made things worse.
"And Tata Martino, what a poor dummy, I had him in front of me telling me: ‘Fool, you going to cry? Fool you going to cry?’ What a dummy! All those videos, they probably erased them all because it leaves them looking bad. What they did was really serious. They want to dirty the pitch."
Fernando Ortiz, head coach of Monterrey, set the tone as his assistant also issued a barbed remark about Lionel MessiNow, Sanchez has issued an apology via a video which was posted on social media, saying: "Since I do not know the Inter coach, Gerardo Martino, and I referred to him in a disrespectful manner, and I apologise. I am as Argentine as all of them and I will always defend my club. I’m here to show my face and take charge."
Either way, it was clear that the Monterrey coaching staff were not afraid to stoke the flames of a burgeoning rivalry prior to their clash in the Champions Cup. Manager Ortiz also called out his countryman Messi indirectly for the influence he supposedly has on referees prior to the game.
"Everything that surrounds Messi can lead to sporting and non-sporting decisions," he claimed before the clash, which the World Cup winner eventually missed due to injury. "Obviously, I don’t know if it would harm us, but we all know sports is business, and the business is not about us.
Ortiz did concede, however: "In terms of things on the field, we are going to do what we must do to win. Afterwards, I can’t handle other things. I admire Leo, sportingly," he said. "I keep watching and keep admiring. I want to play against him, but I want my team to win."
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