THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MADRID, Spain — Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has criticized forward Lionel Messi for spitting at an opponent during a Spanish league game with Malaga on Saturday.
Television cameras caught Argentina’s Messi spitting at midfielder Sergio (Duda) Barbosa after a collision between the players during Barcelona’s 4-1 victory.
"It’s not right for these things to happen. We will try to avoid this type of thing," Guardiola said Monday in a report on the sports daily Marca website.
Messi scored in the 19th minute at Malaga’s La Rosaleda stadium to take his league tally this season to six goals. Barcelona will be seeking its 12th straight win in all competitions on Tuesday when it hosts Basel in the Champions League.