Barcelona star Lionel Messi has been accused of trying to intimidate referee Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez in the La Liga giants’ 1-1 draw with Deportivo Alaves on Saturday night.
Alaves took the lead through Luis Rioja, who struck in the 31st minute.
But Antoine Griezmann struck for Barcelona to earn his side a crucial point in the 63rd minute, on a night where they struggled again.
Messi cut a frustrated figure throughout the match and was given a yellow card for kicking the ball away.
It narrowly sailed past referee Hernandez Hernandez and, now, former La Liga official Juan Andujar Oliver has insisted he should have been dismissed because he was trying to ‘intimidate’ the match official.
“He should have been sent off, even though the ball didn't hit referee Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez,” Oliver told Radio MARCA.
“With that action, he wanted to intimidate the referee and that deserves a straight red.”
Messi felt Barcelona should have had a penalty when Frenkie de Jong went down in the box – and was also unhappy when he was denied a free kick.
Barcelona are next in action against Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
This article was most recently revised and updated 11 months ago
