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Former Chelsea and West Ham striker Carlton Cole has called Lionel Messi selfish in a recent interview.
Former Chelsea and West Ham forward Carlton Cole has launched a scathing attack on Lionel Messi, accusing the Argentine superstar of being selfish.
Cole's criticism stems from Messi's silence following a racist chanting incident involving his national teammates, including Enzo Fernandez, who directed offensive slurs at the French national team after Argentina's 1-0 Copa America win over Colombia on July 14.
As the captain of the Argentine team, Cole believes Messi has a responsibility to speak out against racism and condemn the behavior of his teammates.
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14:37 - 19.07.2024
Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez faces potential season-derailing ban for racist video
Fernandez's chant mocked the multi-ethnic heritage of France's players, especially those of African descent.
Carlton Cole slams Messi for refusing to speak on racism issues
Cole, who is black himself, is disappointed in Messi's lack of leadership on this issue and has called him out for not using his platform to address the problem.
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Cole said on talkSPORT, “Argentina have got someone who is renowned as probably the best footballer to ever grace the beautiful game – Lionel Messi.
“We’ve got a look at Messi and you say, you know what, Messi come out. We need to hear you. I need you to. You’ve got to speak up about this.
"Because this is more than Enzo. Messi is the main guy there. He’s the captain. He needs to come out and say something about this behaviour, otherwise, it’s just like he doesn’t care. He doesn’t care how I feel, he doesn’t care how some of his black teammates he’s had in the past feel.
“That just shows me that he’s selfish. He needs to come out and say something. I condemn him. Simple. I condemn Messi.”
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