With the FIFA World Cup 2022 set to begin on Sunday, it looks like Lionel Messi could miss Argentina’s opener, scheduled for November 22, against Saudi Arabia at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail. It has been widely reported that Messi and six other players from the Argentine camp missed training at Qatar University. Captain Messi and four other Argentina players (including Rodrigo De Paul, Leandro Paredes, Nicolas Otamendi and Angel di Maria) have been training separately from rest of the team and stayed in the gym on Friday, as revealed by the AFA. Also, Lisandro Martinez and Juan Foyth missed Friday’s training, although the management hasn’t revealed any reason, but such practices are common to prevent injuries.
Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni has already had to send back Joaquin Correa and Nicolas Gonzalez due to injuries. The Argentine team has their base camp at Qatar University. It was reportedly that they rejected their 5-star accommodation due to the presence of barbecue stands in the institution. On arriving in Doha on Thursday, the team instead headed to Qatar University to stay in the student halls there.
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The decision was also made by the AFA officials, so that the players can have asados, which is one of the country’s traditional barbeque dishes. A official from the Argentine FA told the Mail, “We visited the campus several times and chose it because not only does it have great facilities but it also has open-air space for asados. This is very important to the players and Argentines in general, it’s part of our culture.”
“We want to make them feel at home while they are in Qatar and the best way to do this is to make sure that they get a taste of home while focusing on the football”, the official further added.