Lionel Messi doesn’t want the incident in which he was allegedly spat at by a River Plate fan to become a soap opera, it’s reported.
Messi was reportedly spat at by the River supporter as Barcelona left Japan following their Club World Cup win over the Argentines, the incident taking place at Narita airport.
Coach Luis Enrique and defender Javier Mascherano intervened to calm Messi after the altercation, with River’s President, Rodolfo D’Onofrio apologising to Messi on behalf of the club.
Mascherano was also affected by the reaction he received from River fans during Barca’s victory, having been jeered despite starting his career at the club.
The former Liverpool player didn’t expect that kind of response but understands the supporters in Japan don’t represent the club’s fans as a whole.
Messi is also ready to move past the incident, Marca saying the forward feels it is an isolated occurrence and he doesn’t want it to become a long-running affair, though he was badly effected by what happened at the time.
