Venezuela's Martinez sorry for Messi tackle

CARACAS: Venezuela center-back Adrian Martinez offered a public apology on Friday, barely 12 hours after he was sent off in his team's 3-1 home defeat to Argentina for a dangerous tackle on Lionel Messi.

Martinez was initially shown a yellow card for the studs-up challenge, which struck the Argentina captain just below the left knee. But Uruguayan referee Leodan Gonzalez changed the color to red after consulting the video assistant referee.