Real Madrid star James Rodriguez was involved in a tunnel burst-up with referee Roddy Zambrano after Colombia’s 3-0 defeat to Argentina in their World Cup qualifier on Tuesday. His Barcelona rival Lionel Messi was put up a man of the match performance by scoring a brilliant goal and providing an assist as the hosts tore Colombia apart.
But the Colombian captain was not impressed by some of the decisions made by the referee –he decided to confront him as the teams went back to the dressing room. James could be seen stopping the match official as he approached a flight of stairs.
According to Spanish outlet Marca, James was angered by the yellow card he had received earlier in the match when he clashed with Argentina’s Gabriel Mercado. The publication also claims that Rodriguez had shouted at his opponent:
''B*****d, son of a b***h''
Mercado allegedly replied by calling James a ‘wimp.’ The two players were both booked for the incident. Check out the photos below of the tunnel confrontation with the referee.
The Los Blancos midfielder (in shirt No. 10) confronts the refereee
An argument ensures between the two parties
An official intervenes but the former Monaco star urges on
