Tuesday, Lionel Messi netted an insane free kick, recorded two assists, and defended teammate Ezequiel Lavezzi against accusations of marijuana use by announcing the Argentina national team would boycott the media. Big day.
According to ESPN, the incident started when an Argentinian reporter tweeted, "Lavezzi is left off the substitutes' bench tomorrow because of the joint that was smoked last night in the camp? I'm asking... just asking." Asking was enough. After their 3-0 victory, Messi and his teammates announced their boycott in retaliation to the weed speculation. Messi told the gathered reporters:
We received lots of false accusations and were disrespected and we were quiet. But this accusation against Lavezzi was it. People hurl accusations and if we stay quiet, people will believe them... We wanted to say this in front of everyone and not release a statement. We didn't want to hide from anyone. These past two weeks were filled with personal aggression, not football criticism. You can criticise us for winning or losing, but when you get personal we will draw the line.
Messi clearly drew the distinction between criticizing on-field performances and personal lives, especially without cause, and especially about marijuana. Marijuana, after all, remains highly stigmatised and heavily penalised in sports. The team gave no indication how long the boycott will last.
Anyway. Here's that free kick:
