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Titi Fernandez on Messi saving his career

The thing that nearly ended Titi Fernandez's run at the 2007 Copa América wasn't a match. It was a golf invitation. Argentina had the Saturday off, but two broadcasts were still on the schedule, and Fernandez had lined up studio interviews with Carlos Tevez and Cambiasso at the hotel where the National Team was staying. Notes before lunch, notes between the matches, notes after. All of it mapped out. Then some Venezuelans asked him to play golf across the city. He said yes. On the way back, the highway locked up completely. Nothing was going anywhere. The producers were calling nonstop while he sat there, and by the time he walked into the hotel, he was an hour and a half behind schedule. Every player had gone up to their rooms. None of them were willing to wait. What followed was a screaming match in the lobby, producers furious, Fernandez telling them that if he couldn't fix this he was resigning and flying home to Argentina the next day, because he knew he'd been irresponsible. He shouldn't have gone to play golf. He says that part plainly. A sneaker company rep had watched the whole argument. He'd been with Messi five minutes earlier. Fernandez asked him to make a call, explain the mess, see if Messi could save him. The answer that came back: if Fernandez paid for the soda, he'd come down. Messi came down. They did an interview that ran about half an hour. Fernandez says he could have done six broadcasts that day, but one with Messi was enough. His job was saved. His career, by his own account, was saved too. #CarlosTevez

1h

Footy News@Footynews

Follow

Titi Fernandez on Messi saving his career

The thing that nearly ended Titi Fernandez's run at the 2007 Copa América wasn't a match. It was a golf invitation. Argentina had the Saturday off, but two broadcasts were still on the schedule, and Fernandez had lined up studio interviews with Carlos Tevez and Cambiasso at the hotel where the National Team was staying. Notes before lunch, notes between the matches, notes after. All of it mapped out. Then some Venezuelans asked him to play golf across the city. He said yes. On the way back, the highway locked up completely. Nothing was going anywhere. The producers were calling nonstop while he sat there, and by the time he walked into the hotel, he was an hour and a half behind schedule. Every player had gone up to their rooms. None of them were willing to wait. What followed was a screaming match in the lobby, producers furious, Fernandez telling them that if he couldn't fix this he was resigning and flying home to Argentina the next day, because he knew he'd been irresponsible. He shouldn't have gone to play golf. He says that part plainly. A sneaker company rep had watched the whole argument. He'd been with Messi five minutes earlier. Fernandez asked him to make a call, explain the mess, see if Messi could save him. The answer that came back: if Fernandez paid for the soda, he'd come down. Messi came down. They did an interview that ran about half an hour. Fernandez says he could have done six broadcasts that day, but one with Messi was enough. His job was saved. His career, by his own account, was saved too. #CarlosTevez

1h