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Updated January 27th, 2022 at 20:55 IST

'COVID affected him a lot': Argentina coach explains Messi's absence from WC qualifiers

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has recently provided a detailed explanation of why he excluded Lionel Messi from the FIFA 2022 World Cup Qualifiers squad.

Reported by: Vidit Dhawan
Lionel Messi
Image: AP | Image:self
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Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has recently provided a detailed explanation of why he excluded Lionel Messi from the World Cup Qualifiers squad. While the 34-year-old no longer has COVID, Scaloni confirmed that Messi is still not completely fit to feature in the squad. 

Moreover, since the Argentina national team has already booked their spot in the FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar, it is possible to rest the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner. In the absence of Messi, Angel Di Maria will captain the side against Chile on January 27 and Colombia on February 1.

Argentina coach explains Messi's absence in WC qualifiers team

While speaking about Lionel Messi's health update to reporters on Wednesday, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said, "Clearly, we would love to have Messi here with us. I spoke to him and he told me that COVID hit him hard. It is key for him to get well, and that is why I decided that the best option was for him to stay at his club."

Scaloni also explained why he did not hesitate to give the armband to Angel Di Maria, who also received the honour to captain the Argentina national team in November when Messi was on the bench. "The question of the armband is logical enough. Angel has been in the national team for many years and he is a guy who transmits a lot to his teammates. He is loved and that's all there is to it. In that, we are in no doubt at all," added the Argentinian coach.

Chile vs Argentina details

The Chile vs Argentina World Cup qualifier will take place at the Zorros del Desierto Stadium in Calama on Friday night (as per local time). The game is scheduled to commence live at 5:35 AM IST on January 28. Unfortunately, fans will not be able to watch Chile vs Argentina live in India as there is no official broadcaster for the FIFA World Cup CONMEBOL qualifiers. However, fans can continue to track all the live updates and scores of all FIFA World Cup qualifiers on the social media handles of the two teams in contention.

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Published January 27th, 2022 at 20:55 IST

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