Argentina are set to play two matches within the United States subsequent month, following the cancellation of friendlies by Chinese sporting authorities.
The choice got here amid criticism geared toward Lionel Messi for not taking part in an Inter Miami match in Hong Kong.
The Argentine Football Association introduced on Thursday that Lionel Scaloni’s staff will first face El Salvador at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on March 22, adopted by a match towards Nigeria on the Coliseum in Los Angeles on March 26.
Argentina had been scheduled to play Nigeria within the Chinese metropolis of Hangzhou earlier than going through the Ivory Coast in Beijing, however Messi’s failure to take the sphere for Inter Miami in Hong Kong towards an area League XI earlier this month prompted widespread anger amongst followers.
Messi was deemed unfit to play within the pleasant, which drew 40,000 followers and noticed some spectators paying as much as practically HK$5,000 ($640) for a ticket.
Chinese state media, Hong Kong politicians, and followers reacted angrily three days later when the 36-year-old Argentine ahead got here off the bench to play in a pleasant match in Tokyo towards Vissel Kobe.
In a video posted on Weibo, certainly one of China’s largest social media platforms, on Monday, eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi mentioned his absence from the match had been attributable to an infected adductor.
Source: www.dailysabah.com