Orlando coach blasts ref and Messi ‘circus’ after derby defeat

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA: Orlando City head coach Oscar Pareja says his team’s defeat to Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami on Wednesday was a “circus” and said that the Argentine should have been sent off.

Messi scored twice for Miami in a 3-1 win to move into the last-16 of the Leagues Cup but the Colombian coach was furious with the decisions of Salvadorian referee Ivan Barton.

Messi was booked in the 21st minute and Pareja felt he should have been dismissed with a second yellow after another foul.

“There was a double yellow card for Leo Messi. I don’t care that he was Messi. That affects the game. The match should be fair and that was not the case on the field.

“We take our responsibility, OK, we lost, we are frustrated but I have to say (this), you cannot hide this kind of situation,” he said.

The game was level at 1-1 until Miami were awarded a penalty when Venezuelan striker Josef Martinez went down after a slight tug in the box and Pareja was also fuming with that decision and the overall handling of the game.

“The attention that we get with all that is happening it becomes a circus, (this match) was a circus,” said Pareja, who was angered that the referee did not go to the monitor to review the penalty award.

“The penalty was unbelievable. Unbelievable. If the VAR was there and we have referees then we have to be honest and go and see it because the game deserved it,” he said.

“We’re frustrated. The people want to see soccer and things have to be fair, (in this game) it was not the case,” added the Orlando coach, who noted that Barton did go to the monitor later in the game to over-rule an Orlando goal.

Messi added Miami’s third — and his second — to complete a third straight win since the Argentine joined the