Messi plays down punching incident
Reuters - Thursday 02 June 2011, 22:01
BUENOS AIRES - Argentina forward Lionel
Messi played down an incident in which someone tried to punch
him outside a restaurant in his home town of Rosario on
Thursday.
"I wasn't even touched," Messi told reporters after a punch
thrown by a youth wearing a hoodie failed to make contact.
"I didn't feel a thing and I only found out after all the
kerfuffle, it was nothing," Messi told sports daily Ole from Rosario, 300 km north of Buenos Aires.
Messi, on holiday after another brilliant season in which he
helped Barcelona win the Champions League, left the restaurant
with friends and was surrounded by autograph hunters.
Argentine media, who gave the incident massive coverage,
said Messi's aggressor was a fan of Rosario Central, arch-rivals
of Newell's Old Boys where the 23-year-old spent his formative
years before joining Barcelona some 10 years ago.
"We're taking photos and we see the arm and he dodges it.
(Messi) did not react badly, he left walking and got into the
(car)," witness Carolina told the TV news channel C5N.
Messi will report to national team coach Sergio Batista on
June 8 to begin training for next month's Copa America hosted by
Argentina.