translated from Spanish: The reasons for the expulsion of Messi and Medel according to the arbitral record

Argentine striker Lionel Messi was sent off on Saturday during the match for third place in the Copa America against Chile for “confronting the opponent, in an incident when the ball was no longer in play”, according to the minutes of Paraguayan arbitrator Mario Díaz de Vivar.
The referee has marked the “item 6” of the reasons for the expulsion, with the clarification that he chooses it “in the absence of options”. He points out as one of the reasons “for confronting the opponent in an incident that occurred when the ball was no longer at stake, tying a heavy shoulder blow to the advesarian” (Chile’s Gary Medel, who was also ejected).
The 10th side of albiceleste was ejected along with the Chilean centre in the 37th minute following a squabred between the two that the referee punished with direct red, a decision that ratified the VAR.
In the case of the red meel, Mario Díaz de Vivar said that the Red zaguero “brutally took blows with the chest and arm to the adversary (Messi) until it was contained by his companions”.
The decision was widely criticized by the technicians of both teams, the Argentine Lionel Scaloni and the Colombian Reinaldo Rueda, and by the protagonists of the action.
“It’s a game pitch that happens a lot, he (Medel) always plays to the limit and well, once these situations happen in the match, I think the referee went a little too far, because with the yellow one for two, it would be over, but well,” Messi said.
“The referee drove super badly, it was a yellow one for both of us and it was all over. It wasn’t a foul. The referee was wrong and misled us both,” Medel said.
Argentina won the 2019 Copa América bronze medal after beating Chile 2-1 at Arena Corinthians in Sao Paulo on Saturday, thanks to goals from Sergio Agéero (m.12) and Paulo Dybala (m.22).

Original source in Spanish