Messi had a forgettable ending to the tournament as he was showed a straight red card in the third place playoff against Chile following a clash with Gary Medel.

Following the match, Messi did not come out to collect his bronze medal. Messi predicted that Brazil would win the tournament because everything was set up for them .

The Barcelona forward said “There is no doubt, the whole thing is set up for Brazil . I hope the VAR and referees don’t play any part in the final and that Peru can compete but it looks tough to me. I did not want to be part of this corruption, we shouldn’t have to be part of this disrepect 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. I always tell the truth and I’m honest , that is what keeps me calm, if what I say has repercussions that is not my business . I think that what happened is because of what I said against Brazil. What I said last time perhaps came back to haunt me. With a yellow card that was the end of it .”

Messi was sent off towards the end of the first half of Saturday’s third-place play-off against Peru following a confrontation with midfielder Gary Medel, who was also shown a red card.

The Argentina captain suggested he had been singled out following his comments over the crazy officiating in the wake of their 2-0 semi-final defeat by hosts Brazil in Belo Horizonte.

He said “We don’t need to be part of the corruption that we’ve suffered at this tournament, Medel is always right at the limit. With a yellow that would have been the end of it for both of us, but well, maybe what I said recently had an impact. What’s important is that the team finished well in the tournament. Maybe this was ordered and I ended up suffering because of what I said.”