Emiliano « Dibu » Martinez, the goalkeeper for Argentina, reacted furiously to the rough treatment inflicted by the Brazilian police on Argentine fans before the match against Brazil (0-1) at the Maracana on Tuesday.
The brutal treatment of the visitors sparked outrage among the world champions, who refused to start the match until the situation returned to normal. Before that, many players had approached the stands where Argentine supporters were seated, shouting at the police to put an end to the violent repression.
Emiliano « Dibu » Martinez, the Argentine goalkeeper from Aston Villa, even intervened, leaping from the edge of the field to the bottom of the stands to prevent a Brazilian police officer from striking an Argentine fan. Two law enforcement officers then stepped in to ask Martinez not to escalate the situation.
EL DIBU DEFENDIENDO A LOS HINCHAS ARGENTINOS EN MEDIO DE LA REPRESIÓN POLICIAL pic.twitter.com/iEXBISudaW
— TyC Sports (@TyCSports) November 22, 2023
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Messi denounced the brutality of the Brazilian police, stating, « Some players had family present in the stadium. We thought about them, who didn’t know what was happening. We were more concerned about that than the match, which became secondary at that moment. When things calmed down a bit, we decided to return. But first, we went to see how our loved ones and everyone there were doing. »
However, during the match, Messi was not without criticism. He responded to Rodrygo, who had suggested that the World Champions were « cowards » for not wanting to play when clashes occurred before the match. « We are world champions, not cowards! Watch your language, » Messi reportedly retorted.
💥 La tensión se puede palpar también en el terreno de juego
Messi y Rodrygo tuvieron sus más y sus menos… pic.twitter.com/XhQ4IkMs3w #EliminatoriasSudamericanas
— MARCA (@marca) November 22, 2023
