Arturo Vidal Criticises Copa America Officiating after Lionel Messi Red Card

Arturo Vidal thinks Lionel Messi and Argentina were hard done by during the 2019 Copa America. Vidal was on the losing end as La Albiceleste beat holders Chile 2-1 on Saturday to finish third despite Messi being sent off.

Messi was shown a red card in the 37th minute along with Vidal's fellow midfielder Gary Medel. Vidal, who is team-mates with Messi at Barcelona, was one of many far from impressed with the decision, per Marca: "The referee wanted to be more important than the game, how can he send off both captains for a bit of pushing? Clearly they got ahead of themselves, they didn't touch faces, there was nothing serious. Two shoves with the chest isn't a red card."

The incident prompted an angry response from Messi, and ironically, he was supported by Medel:

Messi hasn't been shy about expressing his displeasure with how decisions have gone at this year's tournament:

Messi's words, in turn, drew an angry condemnation from CONMEBOL. The governing body for South American football rejected claims of bias for or against any particular competing nations, per Sky Sports: "It is unacceptable that as a result of incidents typical in competitions, involving 12 teams, all on equal terms, unfounded accusations have been launched that lack the truth and question the integrity of the Copa America."

Despite CONMEBOL's assertion, Vidal believes fortune hardly favoured Argentina throughout the tournament. He scored from the penalty spot in the third-place playoff but questioned to Marca some of the challenges La Albiceleste faced in previous rounds: "I think Argentina had things go against then when they played Brazil. It was unfair, just like when they sent us to a hotel two hours away from the stadium to play against Colombia."

Finally, Vidal offered some advice to CONMEBOL about how to make more effective use of the VAR system in the future: "VAR is used in a different way in Europe, in South America they have to learn."

It's hard to argue with Vidal's assessment of how VAR has been used when it's become as big a talking point as any during the competition. Frequent use of the video replay technology has ruined the spectacle of the tournament in Brazil for some:

Yet for all Vidal's valid concerns about both Messi's red card and how this Copa has been handled, there is no denying both Argentina and Chile have still performed below expectations.

Vidal and La Roja arrived as holders but rarely clicked in attacking areas. Key players, particularly Manchester United forward Alexis Sanchez, showed only brief glimpses of their talent.

A 3-0 defeat to Peru in the last four rated as a surprise at the time but now looks merely like the inevitable outcome for a squad not imbued with enough fresh quality since winning back-to-back trophies in 2015 and 2016.

As for Argentina, the nation is still waiting for the presence of Messi to yield major trophies. It's been an ongoing struggle to successfully build around arguably the greatest player of his generation and any other.

Accommodating other marquee names with Messi has proved tricky for successive coaches despite the presence of stars such as Sergio Aguero, Paulo Dybala and Angel Di Maria.

Even so, some believe there is hope for the future:

The development of Real Betis schemer Giovani Lo Celso, still just 23, as well as 21-year-old Tottenham Hotspur defender Juan Foyth shows La Albiceleste are refreshing the ranks. It means Messi may finally have the supporting cast he needs when Argentina co-host the next Copa America, along with Colombia, in 2020.