Monterrey assistant coach refuses to name Lionel Messi in apology after leaked clip about calling him a ‘possessed dwarf’

Monterrey's assistant coach Nico Sanchez has refused to name Lionel Messi in his apology, after a recording of him insulting the legendary Argentine came to light.

This comes after Monterrey's 2-1 hard-fought victory over Messi's side Inter Miami in the Concacaf Champions Cup first leg. The match notably devolved with high tempers and agitated moments, as the players racked up eight yellow cards and one red card.

There was a heated dispute after the game where Luis Suarez, Messi, Jordi Alba, and Miami's coach Tata Martino got into an altercation with members of Monterrey. Afterward, assistant manager Nico Sanchez talked about the confrontation, making scathing remarks about Messi and Martino particularly.

However, this conversation leaked, and Sanchez was revealed to have said, talking about Lionel Messi (via The Guardian):

“The dwarf was possessed, he had the face of the devil. 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."

He went on to lash out at Inter Miami manager Tata Martino:

“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.”

Following the leak of the recording, Sanchez chose to issue an apology on social media, only addressing Martino but ignoring Lionel Messi (via Guardian):

“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.”

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Lionel Messi scores for Inter Miami after return from injury

Lionel Messi made a spectacular comeback to the pitch for Inter Miami, as he scored on his first game since his injury on March 13. The Argentine scored 12 minutes after coming on as a substitute, helping to force a 2-2 tie with Colorado Rapids.

His goal, which deflected off the post, happens to be his fifth for the club this season. Soon after he scored, Lionel Messi was also instrumental in Leonardo Alfonso's goal making it 2-1 for Miami.

However, this lead was short-lived and Inter Miami were unable to secure the win. With a goal from Cole Bassett in the 88th minute, the Colorado Rapids rallied to earn a tie, and the final score was 2-2.