Management against the clock. The national team’s tour of China was cancelled, but there are already new rivals and another country

The world champion has to see his agenda. The argentine national team He doesn’t know where he will play two friendly from FIFA double window of mid march. Both matches gain relevance due to the team’s prior filming to compete in the June and July America Cup, the main objective of the team this year. Until a few days ago, Lionel Messi and his company were going to travel to China to measure yourself with Nigeria y Ivory Coast. The first crossing was to take place in Hangzhou, and the second, in the capital, Beijing. But the tour was canceled due to “operational issues” and AFA did not confirm new rivals or venues. Off microphone, and as he found out THE NATIONthe opponents would be The Savior y Nigeriain that order.

The idea of Claudio “Chiqui” Tapiathe president of AFA, is for the albiceleste team to play those two games in USA. To be possible, on the east coast. On the one hand, to acclimatize to the country in which he will try to retain the title of subcontinental champion. On the other hand, for be close to Miami, the bunker of Lionel Messi, who plays for Inter, in that city. “If China falls we see something for the United States,” said one leader last week. And China fell, but there are many uncertainties about the US land plan.

Lionel Messi already had El Salvador as a rival this year, in March, when he visited for an Inter Miami friendly.Moises Castillo – AP

In the last few hours, AFA received a proposal to star in the two friendlies with Central American rivals: El Salvador and Costa Rica, possibly in Washington and Orlando. However, the ticos They are close to confirming a friendly for March 26 with Trinidad and Tobago. Then, the first rival would be El Salvador. And the second? One of the two African teams that were suspended due to the cancellation of the Asian tour: Nigeria.

“The first match is with El Salvador and the second, Nigeria,” confirmed an AFA source strictly. off the record. The stadiums? Determined. In the offices on Viamonte Street and on the Ezeiza property they did not hide their annoyance at the company’s lack of definition. SouthGilmore LLC, part of the Chinese executive group Zhongfu Sports Co., Ltd. That company was in charge of finding rivals and venues for the Argentine team in China in exchange for a juicy contract in dollars, similar to that of 2023, when the world champion He played against Australia at the Workers’ Stadium in Beijing. The definitive cancellation forced the AFA to work against the clock, beyond possible lawsuits that may arise due to matches not held in Chinese territory.

World champion Argentina celebrates a goal in the match against Australia last June in Beijing; This time China did not want to host the team, partly due to Messi’s absence in Inter Miami’s recent friendly with a team from Hong Kong.PEDRO PARDO – AFP

“Only this Thursday we reached an agreement with the new company for the matches in the United States. We are doing everything quickly due to the situation in China,” they hid behind AFA. And they promised: “Next Wednesday everything will be defined.” The Argentine team, then, will have its preparatory tour for the Copa América in the country where its captain plays and with easy air connections for the footballers, as its coach, Lionel Scaloni, wanted. However, The DT will not have class A adversaries, as he had required. For Scaloni, the team must keep its competitive spirit alive, playing against the best. El Salvador (81st in the latest FIFA ranking), above all, and Nigeria (28th, after rising 14 places after second place in the African Cup) are not elite opponents for a world champion team.

In any case, the two preparatory meetings may well serve to train players or finish inserting them into the team’s scaffolding. After all, in a friendly in the United States against Jamaica (the first in preparation for the Qatar 2022 World Cup) Scaloni made Enzo Fernández debut with the albiceleste shirt. The then Benfica midfielder did not miss a pass and crashed a shot into a post in the 3-0 lead for the Argentine team. That was the certainty that the coach needed to include him in the final list for the World Cup. The rest is history.

That Argentina 3 vs. Jamaica 0 premiere for Enzo Fernández

AFA wants the team to hold two more friendlies after those in March, before the official competition. The champion will most likely face Honduras y Ecuador, also in the United States, and that these meetings serve for Scaloni to finish outlining the squad with a view to the Copa América. Then, Argentina would have four preparation games to defend the crown. Scaloni preferred European and high-class world-class rivals. He won’t have them. Yes enough filming.

THE NATION

Themes

Argentina national teamLionel ScaloniLionel MessiAFA

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