Switzerland vs. Argentina referee: My communication with Messi was normal, and it's the same with other players.

According to Diario Sport, Argentina's World Cup campaign was plagued by controversial refereeing decisions and on-field incidents, with the dispute between Messi and referee João Pinnello during the match against Switzerland only being brought up again after the game.

In that quarter-final match, the Argentine star first spoke with the referee and then criticized his manner of speaking. Messi told the Portuguese referee, "Speak to me properly, don't disrespect me." After the World Cup, Pinello recalled the incident in an interview with Canal 11.

When asked if Messi had really caused him trouble, the referee admitted, "Yes, other players have too." But he said it was normal: "There are often these kinds of exchanges on the football field, and captains usually say more, and the new rules allow that." He was referring to the rule that allows players wearing captain armbands to talk to the referee.

Pinello further explained that the reason this incident garnered more attention than usual was simply because Messi is an eight-time Ballon d'Or winner: "What happened to Messi has happened to other players too. Of course, because it's Messi, it might seem more noticeable, but that's normal in football. Referees communicate with players, and players communicate with referees; our relationships are normal. Sometimes we have different opinions on certain decisions, but there's nothing special about it. This kind of thing happens in the World Cup, the Champions League, La Liga, Serie A, and Serie B."

Pinnello reiterated that such situations happen frequently, but the public's perception changes if the person involved is Messi or Ronaldo: "However, these exchanges are actually healthy because we don't need to issue yellow cards for everything." Speaking about the end of his argument with Messi, he believed it might have been a misunderstanding: "He might have misunderstood what I did wrong. We talked, and after communicating, we understood. It was just a specific episode in the game, and then the game continued."

Finally, Pinnello spoke about his experience officiating this top-level international match: "Words cannot describe it; only by experiencing it firsthand can one understand its significance. I realized I was dreaming, and that dream came true in the very first match, which was also the most difficult match I've ever officiated—Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Switzerland. The match started off tough, but then I began to enjoy it."