Lionel Messi, walking off at half time, was heard accusing the referee of trying to get him booked deliberately during Barcelona vs Real Sociedad match at Camp Nou on Monday night.
Barcelona gave themselves a major thurst in La Liga title race on Monday night when a last-minute goal by Ousmane Dembele gave them 3 points against Real Valladolid; taking them within 1 point of league leaders Atletico Madrid, who lost to Sevilla earlier in the weekend.
The match, which ended 1-0, had its fair share of controversy too as Barcelona star Lionel Messi was seen hitting out at match referee Jaime Latre at half time with the scoreline locked a stalemate.
In what turned out to be a tense game, Messi looked furious with the referee's performance at the break, accusing Latre of purposely trying to show him a red card, reported Spanish sports daily Diario AS.
Messi was heard saying on the camera in Spanish: "He (Latre) wants to give me a card……incredible", hinting at an alleged conspiracy to get him suspended ahead of their high-octane tie against arch-rival Real Madrid, dubbed El Clasico.
Messi so far has been booked four times this season in the league and any further booking will cost him a match suspension as per La Liga rules. Apart from him, the team's in-form midfielder Frekie De Jong is also a booking away from suspension.
With nine games of the season remaining Barcelona could overtake Atletico Madrid with a win over their age-old rivals, who themselves trail Los Rojiblancos by three points.
