Portuguese referee João Pinheiro broke his silence and commented on the controversial match between Argentina and Switzerland in the 2026 World Cup.
Argentina's national team faced Switzerland in the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup, and Messi's teammates secured qualification after a 3-1 victory.
In the second half of the match, Swiss player Breel Embolo received a second yellow card and was subsequently sent off following a video assistant referee intervention.
The incident began with Argentina's Paredes receiving a yellow card for a challenge on Embolo, before the video assistant referee intervened and decided to apply the mistaken identity rule.
Accordingly, Paredes' card was canceled and given to Embolo for simulation, resulting in his sending off as it was his second yellow card in the same match.
Read also | A major surprise regarding Embolo's sending off in the Argentina vs Switzerland match
Regarding that incident, the referee said in statements to "Marca" newspaper: "We saw that there was no foul and that it was simulation."
He added: "Since it was the second yellow card, it resulted in the player's sending off, and if it had been the first, the decision would have been exactly the same."
The match witnessed a verbal altercation between referee Pinheiro and Lionel Messi, as cameras captured the Argentine national team captain at the time asking the referee to speak to him respectfully and not insult him.
Regarding that incident, he added: "Messi raised some points with me as other players did; team captains communicate more with referees, and the new rules allow this dialogue."
He continued: "Because it was Messi, that incident received greater attention, but this happens with many football players; when it comes to Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, these situations are viewed differently."
He concluded: "These are useful dialogues; we are not obliged to caution everyone. Perhaps he misunderstood something I did. We talked, understood each other, and then moved past it."
