La Scaloneta is played again: the Argentine national team’s friendlies have been confirmed

After a few days of uncertainty following the cancellation of the tour that the Argentine national team would have carried out in China next month, the Argentine Football Federation confirmed that the national team will play two friendly matches United States of America and what the rivals will be El Salvador and Nigeria.

The cast he directs Lionel Scaloni It will be played on Friday 22 March at the Lincoln Financial Field stadium in Philadelphia against the Salvadoran team, 81st in the FIFA rankings and last year last in their group in both the Gold Cup and the Football League. of North American, Central American and Caribbean Football (Concacaf).

Four days later, on March 26 at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, Argentina will face the Nigerian team, which is positioned 28th in the ranking of the mother company of ecumenical football and which ranked second in the Africa Cup of Nations which concluded less than two weeks does. The time of both meetings has not yet been confirmed.

This announcement put an end to the doubts that had been generated after the cancellation of the matches that the world champion team would have played on Chinese soil in this FIFA match against Nigeria (at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center stadium) and Ivory Coast (at the Stadio of Beijing Workers) and which was canceled 10 days ago due to the unrest generated in the host country by the absence of Lionel Messi in a friendly match played by his team, Inter Miami.

On February 4, the Florida team defeated a First Division team from that territory 4 to 1 in Hong Kong. In that duel Messi observed the actions from the pitch, but didn’t even put on his boots. According to what was later claimed by the Inter Miami footballer and coach Gerardo Martino, his absence was due to a muscular problem.

Rosario’s absence generated discomfort among the fans who had packed the stadium. Tatler Asia, the event’s organizing company, announced a 50% refund of the cost of tickets, but this wasn’t enough. The Hong Kong government stressed that its club deserved a response, especially after seeing Messi play in Japan.

A few days after that frustration, the Sports Authority of the city of Hangzhou in southern China decided to cancel the duel between Argentina and Nigeria. “For reasons that we all know, we have learned from the control authorities that there are no conditions for playing the match. It has been decided to cancel it,” the organization said. For this reason the AFA had to cancel the tour and look for an alternative which has now finally been resolved.

This Monday Messi gave his version of what happened in Hong Kong. “As everyone knows, I always want to play. I heard that he didn’t want to play for political reasons and many other things that have nothing to do with it. If that had been the case, I would not have traveled to Japan or gone to China as I have done on several occasions since I started my career. I have always had a very close relationship with China, I have always done things like interviews, matches, events and many matches both with Barcelona and with the national team”, he explained in a video published on the Weibo social network.

And he added: “As I said in the press conference, I had an inflammation of the adductor and could not participate. In the first match I played in Saudi Arabia I felt it, in the second I tried to play for a while, but it was worse. I tried to train the day before the friendly in Hong Kong and make an effort for all the people there, but the truth is that I couldn’t play. “There was a risk that it would get worse.”

Messi also explained that his presence in the match in Japan three days after his absence in Hong Kong was a consequence of his physical improvement and he aimed to continue his physical preparation for the official season. “I needed to play and get back into rhythm. I had already done it, but I thought it was important to repeat it after everything we talk about,” he explained.