Lionel Messi, Argentina blame vuvuzelas for South Korean goal

Lionel Messi blamed the noise of vuvuzelas for Argentina conceding a goal in their 4-1 defeat of South Korea in the World Cup football at Soccer City stadium here Thursday.

"You could not hear anything, just like the other day," the striker said after the match in Johannesburg.

"That's why that happened to 'Micho.' Everyone was shouting at him, and he could not hear it, he could not see," Messi said with reference to defender Martin Demichelis.

Lee Chung Yong made the most of a mistake by Demichelis to score the lone South Korean goal of the match.

"I also had a couple of situations in which I lost the ball that way. You cannot hear anything," Messi complained over the vuvuzelas.

Argentina keeper Sergio Romero also slammed the South African stadium horns.

"You can't hear anything no matter how loud you speak. I think two defenders and I shouted at (Demichelis), and he did not hear us," Romero said of the run-up to the South Korean goal.

"It sometimes happens to me too, that they sometimes talk to me for me to go out to get the ball, and then I look at them and I apologise because you can't really hear anything," the keeper said.

Romero, however, shrugged his shoulders, noting that that is just "the way the game goes."

Argentina captain Javier Mascherano was not convinced and demanded action.

"The noise makes it impossible to hear your team-mate, but as long as FIFA do nothing about things are not going to change," the midfielder said.