Dani Alves blasts Messi for claiming the Copa America tournament is “corrupt”

Brazil captain, Dani Alves, has criticised his former Barcelona team-mate, Lionel Messi, after the Argentina star alleged that the Copa America was corrupt following his side’s loss to the Selecao.

Messi hit out at CONMEBOL and the tournament as a whole following the semi-final defeat and once again after Argentina’s third-place clash with Chile, a game he was shown a straight red card.

He suggested the officials had been favouring the tournament hosts throughout the competition.

After only his second ever dismissal — his first was 14 years ago — Messi, 32, refused to collect his medal then stormed: “There is no doubt, the whole thing is set up for Brazil.

“I did not want to be part of this corruption. We shouldn’t have to be part of this disrespect we suffered during the Copa America.

“We could have gone further, but we weren’t allowed into the final. Corruption, referees and all the rest stopped people from enjoying the football.”

A Spanish news-site AS claims Messi could be banned from international competition two years.

Alves, who captained Brazil to winning their first Copa in 12 years, put aside his friendship with Messi and called his action “disrespectful”.

“A friend is not always right just because he’s a friend. You can say it in the heat of the moment, but I still won’t agree.

“Firstly, he’s disrespecting an institution such as the Selecao, in my view. Secondly, he’s being disrespectful with several professionals who put a lot of things aside so they could be there fighting for a dream.

“I’m a friend who always tells the truth when it’s due, and I think he was wrong for saying these things,” Alves told SporTV’s ‘Bem Amigos’.