Argentina national football team in Singapore for international friendly
The Argentina national team touched down in Singapore on Saturday afternoon ahead of their international friendly match against Singapore.
Football superstar Lionel Messi was spotted among those who walked through the JetQuay CIP Terminal. News reports earlier this week speculated that Messi would skip the match on Tuesday (13 June) to focus on preparation for his upcoming wedding to partner Antonella Rocuzzo.
A statement from the organisers at about 11:20pm on Saturday confirmed that Messi, Gonzalo Higuain and Nicolas Otamendi will miss the friendly “due to personal reasons”. Local media reports said Messi was spotted leaving the Fullerton Hotel at about 9.30pm.
The statement added, “While we share the disappointment of football fans in Singapore and elsewhere at the absence of these players, we still very much look forward to what will be an exciting football match against a team that will continue to feature a world class line-up of players. We very much hope that fans will enjoy this historical fixture and we encourage fans to show their support for the Lions at the National Stadium as they take on the No. 2 ranked team in the world.”
On Sunday (11 June), the team trained at the Bishan Stadium ahead of the match on Tuesday. Head coach Jorges Sampaoli then told the media on Monday evening that fielding Messi would have been “risky” for Argentina.
(Photos by Football Association of Singapore, AFP)
