Lionel Messi Complains Of Bad Fields In Venezuela During World Cup Qualification

Lionel Messi complained about the bad pitch in Venezuela (Instagram/@afaselccion).

JAKARTA - Lionel Messi complained about the condition of Venezuela's home field, the Estadio Monumental de Maturin, when they played their ninth match of the 2026 Conmebol World Cup Qualification Zone.

Venezuelan headquarters was inundated throughout the match on October 11, 2024 WIB.

After the match, Messi didn't stop chatting because of the poor quality of the field. They were forced to throw away the game plan because the field conditions didn't allow it.

Heavy rain before the match flooded the field. The kick-off was postponed for 30 minutes due to field conditions that did not allow before the referee decided to be allowed to play.

However, the delay did not help. The field was still flooded due to poor drainage. The situation hampered the movement of the ball during the match.

A video shows Messi warming up showing the ball stopping suddenly after he fired a shot at the crossbar. The water prevents the ball from bouncing at all.

Messi believes the condition caused the match to run badly as it blocked the flow of passes and shots.

"It was very difficult, it made the game so bad. We couldn't finish the two passes in a row."

"In the first half we made some feedback backwards and the water would stop it, making it difficult. We did the game we could with water."

"In the second half we did a little bit more to the right, but it was hard to play like that. Very little was played."

"We drew because the pitch didn't help us do what we wanted. We had to play a game that was different from what we prepared."

"However, we are ready because we are fighting, winning the battle, playing with the opponent's mistakes. We can't take too much risk with our feedback game back," Messi said as reported by The Sun.

Argentina only picked up one point from Venezuela's home after the game ended in the 1-1 draw.

Nicolas Otamendi opened Argentina's lead in the 13th minute. However, Venezuela equalized through Solomon Rondon in the 65th minute.

Currently, Argentina still leads the standings with 19 points from nine matches, six wins, one draw, and two defeats.