Lionel Messi’s Argentina to play 2 matches in US to replace cancelled China games after Hong Kong fiasco
- Argentina needed to fill the gap as they prepare for Copa America defence in June
- Messi back to full fitness after adductor problem led to infamous Hong Kong sit-out
Argentina are to play two friendly matches in the United States next month after a pair of fixtures in China were axed following Lionel Messi’s ill-starred visit to Hong Kong.
The breadth and scale of the backlash against the Argentinian, following his non-participation when Inter Miami faced a local select this month, was underlined when Chinese officials called off matches his national team were scheduled to play in Hangzhou and Beijing between March 18 and 26.
A well-placed source told the Post that the Argentine Football Association (AFA) was under pressure to speedily fill the sudden fixture void, with Argentina preparing to defend their Copa America title this summer.
And barely a fortnight after the plug was pulled on games against Nigeria and Ivory Coast in China, the Argentine governing body has added US dates against El Salvador and Nigeria to the diary.
El Salvador was the first stopping point for Inter Miami’s globetrotting preseason in January, and Messi is set for a swift reunion with the Central American nation, who will provide Argentina’s opponents in Philadelphia on March 22.
