Bucharest – Lionel Messi could miss the August 10 friendly that will pit Romania against Argentina, a friendly that will inaugurate Romania’s new National Arena, ‘Evenimentul Zilei’ writes. The Spanish press announced that Barcelona’s star will be on holiday until August 10 because at this time he is playing for his national team at Copa America, a tournament that is taking place in Argentina and whose final is scheduled on July 24.
FC Barcelona’s leaders have the right to veto Messi’s participation in his national team’s friendlies and they may oppose his presence in Romania.
Another detail that worries the Romanian organizers is the fact that FC Barcelona will play against archrivals Real Madrid in the Spanish Supercup on August 14 and 17, so that the risk of seeing Messi unable to play in the friendly is extremely high. One of the terms of the contract signed with the Argentinean Football Federation stipulates that if Lionel Messi does not come to Bucharest the Romanian Football Federation will pay EUR 1.1 M instead of EUR 1.3 M.
FRF has put up for sale the tickets for the game that will inaugurate the National Arena. The tickets are sold only on the internet, on www.biletefotbalonline.ro, www.bilete.ro, www.myticket.ro, and www.eventim.ro. FRF has put up for sale 45,000 out of a total of 55,000 tickets.
Argentina have made a poor start to their Copa America campaign with two draws and do not look like a team ready to end a two-decade trophy drought, but they will recover and reach the quarter-finals, insists star Lionel Messi, according to fifa.com.
FIFA World Player of the Year Messi proved unstoppable all season with a Barcelona shirt on his back but with Argentina he has become a metaphor for the team’s stuttering form which saw the albiceleste drop points to Bolivia and then just scrape another draw with Colombia.
