Messi and Scaloni will not miss the Argentina vs Peru Copa America match

Argentina’s Copa America road trip continued Friday with the opening of the Albiceleste Fan Zone and a “Banderazo” pep rally at Bayside Marketplace in downtown Miami ahead of Saturday’s game against Peru at Hard Rock Stadium.

Thousands of fans dressed in blue and white gathered in Times Square in New York ahead of Tuesday’s match against Chile. Similar numbers were expected in South Florida this weekend.

There was a cloud hanging over the celebrations, however, as injured team captain Lionel Messi and suspended coach Lionel Scaloni will not take part in the match, which kicks off at 8pm and is expected to draw a sell-out crowd.

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Messi, an Inter Miami star and eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, will miss the match as he recovers from an upper right thigh injury he sustained early in Tuesday’s match. He is one of several starters expected to be rested as Argentina have already secured a place in the quarter-finals.

Messi complained of “discomfort” in the adductor region of the thigh, underwent tests and was deemed to be a minor injury, according to Argentine reporter Gaston Edul. He missed Argentina’s training session at FIU on Thursday but was expected to train on Friday.

Inter Miami coach Tata Martino said Friday morning that he had not spoken to Messi but that, to his knowledge, Messi is undergoing tests and if the results are positive, he will miss Saturday’s match and prepare for the quarterfinals on July 4 at NRG Stadium in Houston.

“Regarding Leo’s absence, everyone knows what Leo means not only to our team but to the sport in general, so the rest of us will go out there and do our best,” said Argentine defender German Pezzella. “It’s an honor to wear this jersey.”

Scaloni was suspended for one match by CONMEBOL, South American soccer’s governing body, and fined $15,000 for Argentine players arriving late for the second half in the team’s two previous Copa América matches, a 2-0 win over Canada in the first leg in Atlanta and a 1-0 victory over Chile.

Chilean coach Ricardo Gareca was also suspended and fined the same amount for the same offense. Coaches were banned from participating in pre-game press conferences on Friday and after games on Saturday.

According to Article 145 of the Copa America Regulations, players and coaches must report to the pitch at the scheduled time after half-time and will be warned in the event of a first violation. Sanctions were imposed after a second violation.

The Canadian players and their coach Jesse Marsch publicly complained about Argentina’s late return for the second half of their tournament opener.

“Our guys were waiting (on the pitch) and I knew (Argentina) was watching the video and analyzing how they wanted to play against us, and I would like the referees to handle that,” Marsch said in his post-match remarks. “If we were five minutes late, we would get a fine, it would be a big problem. Let’s see what happens with Argentina. I think there has to be a fine.”

Asked how long his team had waited, Marsch replied: “A long time. They had so much time to prepare for how they wanted to prepare for us in the second half. If we had known in advance that we could have an extra 10 minutes, we could have prepared some things… Argentina should have been fined.”

Walter Samuel, the assistant coach who will replace Scaloni on Saturday, said Scaloni was upset about the suspension. “He’s upset because we consider ourselves an honest coaching staff and in my six years of coaching we haven’t had a sanction like that, so it’s upsetting. He wanted to be with the team on Saturday… If we were late, it wasn’t to gain any advantage. But we have to accept the penalty and move on.”

Peru’s coach, Uruguayan-born Jorge Fossati, said it was a shame that Scaloni would not be playing for Argentina’s reserve team.

“It’s not good for a festival like the Copa America when the coach is absent because of a detail such as his team being a few minutes late on the pitch,” Fossati said. “There are other issues that need to be taken into account, such as that the 15-minute clock should not start counting immediately after the end of the first half, but rather when the teams leave the pitch. Additionally, in some stadiums in the United States, the locker rooms are very far from the field.”

Argentina, who are booked into the quarter-finals with six points, need a draw or victory against Peru to secure top spot in Group A. Peru is yet to score in two matches this Copa, including a 0-0 draw with Chile and a 1-0 draw. 0 loss to Canada. The Peruvians can advance with a win over Argentina and a draw between Canada and Chile thanks to a win over Argentina and Chile’s win over Kananda with the help of overtime.

“We know Argentina are a very good team and have very good players,” said Peruvian defender Alexander Callens, who plays in Greece for AEK Athens. “The only result that would help us is to win and then rely on other results and we will come out the same way we always do. A lot can happen in 90 minutes, so we will see what happens.”

Peru coach Fossati has extensive international experience, having coached the Uruguayan and Qatari national teams. Players to watch include Gianluca Lapadula, who plays for Cagliari in Italy, and Boca Juniors player Luis Advincula.

Fossati was asked if preparations for the game change knowing that Messi will not be on the pitch. He said: “The plan changes, of course, when the opponent is missing someone who is considered the best player in the world, and for good reason. But often when a star player is missing, it increases the collective effort of the others. So we have to take the same precautions whether Leo is playing or not.”

Although Argentina is the clear favorite against Peru, defender German Pezzella said he and his teammates are not taking this match lightly.

“Every time you put on this jersey, it’s like a final and we take that responsibility seriously,” Pezzella said. We cannot take any team or match lightly.”

This story was originally published June 28, 2024 17:03.