CONMEBOL HITS BACK AT MESSI STATEMENT

CONMEBOL responded to allegations of corruption as they labelled Lionel Messi's comments "unacceptable" and "unfounded" at the Copa America.

Argentina defeated Chile 2-1 in the third-place play-off on Saturday, but Messi railed against "corruption" and "a lack of respect" following his red card against the two-time reigning champions.

Messi – who was controversially dismissed in the first half after an altercation with Gary Medel – vented his frustration post-match, having criticised the officiating following Argentina's semi-final loss to hosts Brazil.

The Argentina captain's allegations angered the South American football governing body, which hit back in a statement.

"In football sometimes you win and sometimes you lose and accepting the outcome of a match with loyalty and respect is a fundamental pillar of fair play. Same goes to the refereeing decisions, that are human and will never be perfect," the statement read.

"It's unacceptable that because of incidents proper to the competitions, where 12 Nations competed in, all in equal condition, there have been unfounded accusations that misrepresent the truth and put to judgement the integrity of Copa America.

"Said accusations represent a lack of respect for the competition, all the football players involved and the hundreds of professionals of CONMEBOL, institution that since 2016 has been tirelessly working to transparent, professionalize and develop South American football."

Messi was dismissed when Chile's Medel reacted angrily to a challenge and repeatedly bumped into the Barcelona star with his chest.

Neither Medel nor Messi raised their hands and the Chile man was the clear aggressor in the incident as both players saw red.

There was a VAR check but referee Mario Diaz de Vivar did not look back at the footage on the pitch-side monitor.

When asked why he was not on the pitch for the medal ceremony, Messi told reporters: "Because we don't have to be part of this corruption, this lack of respect towards the whole Copa."

Messi added: "I always tell the truth. That leaves me calm. Then, if what I say has repercussions, it is not to do with me as I am always sincere."

COPA AMERICA OFFICIAL STARTING XI VENEZUELA VS ARGENTINA

Copa America 2019, one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world will be making its debut on ESPN+ this year. You’ll be able to follow your teams from the group stage all the way through the final. Some of the world’s best players will be playing in Copa so you don’t want to miss the action.

Venezuela looks for an upset in tonight’s match at the Estádio do Maracanã in Rio against Argentina, who hasn’t played well as of late, catch all the action with our live stream below.

Copa America: Venezuela vs Argentina

• Date: Friday, June 28
• Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
• Location: Estádio do Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro
• TV Channel: Telemundo
• Live Stream: ESPN+ (sign up now)

Venezuela comes into this match with some confidence after the way they have been playing as of late. With a solid display against Bolivia, they finished second behind Brazil in Group A. Argentina overcame an incredible amount of pressure to win their last game versus Qatar, but they haven’t been playing very well in this Copa America tournament.

Venezuela Probable Lineup (4-5-1): Farinez; Hernandez, Chancellor, Villanueva, Rosales; Savarino, Herrera, Moreno, Rincon, Machis; Rondon

Argentina is still looking for ways to get Messi involved, this has been an ongoing process. Last game they had a 1-0 lead against Qatar and it took until the 82nd minute of the game to put the game to bed. Lionel Scaloni may change up the lineup to get the best out of Lionel Messi.

Argentina Probable Lineup (4-3-1-2): Armani; Foyth, Pezzella, Otamendi, Tagliafico; Lo Celso, Paredes, Acuna; Messi; Aguero, Martinez

EXPLAINING ALL LEO MESSI TATTOOS AND THEIR MEANINGS

• The incredible player on the pitch, the Barca cap has taken interest in tattoo-work over the years. 
• The family has been Messi's key theme through his artwork. 

Left leg:

The bottom half of it is mostly black ink as Messi has covered up earlier tattoos, a sword, angel wings and a red rose.

The only tattoos that can be found there now are a picture of his son Thiago's hands together with the first-born child's name on his calf. Aside from that, he has the number 10 and a football on his shin.

Right leg:

Names and birth-dates of all three of his sons: Thiago, Mateo and Ciro.

Right sleeve:

Depiction of Jesus Christ in a crown of thorns that represents his religious believes. 

Inside of his bicep:

An eye and a small crown. 

Elbow:

A rose window, presumably based on Santa Maria del Pi church in Barcelona

Arm:

A budding red rose, a pink lotus and orange flowers

Forearm:

A classic pocket watch and timepiece cogs 

Left shoulder blade:

the face of his mother, Celia. 

Left hip:

Antonella Roccuzzo's lips coloured red - a dedication to his wife

ARGENTINA VS COLUMBIA: MESSI BEGINS LATEST QUEST FOR INTERNATIONAL SILVERWARE

Lionel Messi's hopes of matching Cristiano Ronaldo's feat of winning major silverware with his country will be put to the test again when Argentina kick-off their Copa America campaign against Colombia.

La Albiceleste have been runners-up at four of the last five editions of the tournament and Messi temporarily stood down from international duty after their penalty shoot-out loss to Chile in 2016.

But the Barcelona star – who has seen rival Ronaldo claim two titles with Portugal at the European Champonship and Nations League – is back once again to lead the line at the CONMEBOL event for Lionel Scaloni's side, who are also set to face Paraguay and Qatar in Group B.

First up is a clash against Colombia in Salvador, with Argentina – who also boast the likes of Sergio Aguero and Paulo Dybala – unbeaten against Saturday's opponents since 2007.

That is not a record Radamel Falcao is unduly concerned by, as Colombia's all-time top scorer prepares for what could be his final Copa America.

"I'm treating it as if that were the case," he said of his potential farewell to the tournament. "It's a good way to try to get the best out of myself.

"We are aware that we haven't won against [Argentina] in a long time, but we have to keep fighting. I think we're closer.

"We must be attentive to the finer details, stay focused and play the way that we have been training.

"In these types of matches the little things can make a big difference."

Colombia coach Carlos Queiroz will be seeking to secure the nation's first title at the competition since they were hosts in 2001.

The former Real Madrid boss has overseen three wins from four matches in charge, including a 3-0 victory over Peru in their final warm-up game.

Argentina were even more convincing winners as they closed out their preparations with a 5-1 thrashing of Nicaragua, Messi scoring two first-half goals before being withdrawn at the break.

The two nations last met in a friendly last September that ended goalless, marking the fifth match in a row in which Colombia had drawn a blank against Argentina.

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

Argentina – Lionel Messi

He may be the obvious choice, but Messi is the man who has carried the hopes of a nation for an international career that has thus far yielded preciously little joy.

Previous Copa America failings have hit the diminutive forward hard and, at a tournament during which he will turn 32, the pressure is on for Messi to star in a trophy-winning campaign.

Colombia – Duvan Zapata

After enjoying a prolific campaign on loan with Atalanta, scoring 23 Serie A goals, Zapata may have forced himself into starting contention.

He came off the bench to score his first international goal in the win over Peru, but the man he replaced – Falcao ​– is likely to be preferred this weekend.

KEY OPTA FACTS 

- Argentina are unbeaten in their last eight meetings with Colombia in all competitions (W4 D4) – their longest unbeaten run against them.

- These two nations have met 13 times in the Copa America, with seven wins for Argentina and two for Colombia.

- Argentina have won the most games (119) and have the highest goal difference (+282) in Copa America history.

- In four of the last five Copa America tournaments Argentina have finished as runners-up, with each of the last two coming in penalty shoot-out defeats in the final (versus Chile in 2015 and 2016).

- Colombia finished third in 2016; they were defeated 2-0 by eventual champions Chile in the semi-finals and went on to beat hosts USA 1-0 in the 3rd place play-off thanks to a Carlos Bacca winner.

- Argentina have progressed from the Copa America group stage in each of their last 12 appearances.

MESSI :- MY SON THIAGO CRITICIZES ME!

Lionel Messi is not immune from being criticised - even by son Thiago.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner is widely regarded as one of the finest footballers to have ever played the sport.

But the Barcelona captain, LaLiga's record goalscorer, confirmed in an interview that Thiago is not always impressed.

"[He] understands football more because he's the biggest [of his children] and he talks about everything to do with football," Messi told World Soccer.

"I have already had some criticism from him! Barcelona, LaLiga, the Champions League... he follows it all. He likes it, he asks questions and he gives me pointers when things don't go so well."

Messi added he previously did not like to talk about games he had lost, but Thiago's interest encourages him to analyse disappointing results.

"It's not like that anymore!" Messi added. "It's always tough to manage the losses and the bad performances.

"But Thiago forces me to talk about what happened and explain why we didn't win. Now, we talk much more."

Messi and Barca are in Copa del Rey action on Thursday, the holders seeking to overturn a 2-0 deficit when they welcome Sevilla to Camp Nou in the second leg of the quarter-finals.