Argentina team and Messi surrounded at airport, Chile at risk of being fined

The Chilean Football Federation will face heavy punishment from FIFA, after the agency failed to ensure airport security for the Argentina team before the match in the 2026 World Cup South American qualifying round at 8am on June 6.

Fans surround Messi from the airport, insult the Argentina team

The Argentine Football Association (AFA) also issued a statement, accusing the Chilean football authority of failing to ensure proper reception protocols, forcing the team members to squeeze through a very noisy crowd of fans at the airport. Messi and his teammates struggled to move through the crowd of fans, who were cheering and shouting insults.

Messi has just returned to the Argentina national team and arrived in Chile to prepare for the match when he encountered a fan incident.

Photo: Reuters

The Argentine Football Association (AFA) also issued a statement, accusing the Chilean football authority of failing to ensure reception protocols, causing the team members to have to squeeze through a very noisy crowd of fans at the airport, including the madness of Messi fans and insults towards the players.

"Argentina's security team, along with the Chilean police, had to intervene to disperse the chaos and create space for the players to move. The AFA was furious, claiming that the Chilean Football Federation had violated FIFA's protocols on airport security and had not respected the agreement between the two federations that had been previously reached. As a result, the Chilean football body now faces a fine from FIFA, after the AFA filed a complaint," TyC Sports said.

TyC Sports journalist Gaston Edul, who accompanied the Argentine team to Chile, said: "This is the first time the Argentine team and Messi have come to Chile as the reigning World Cup champions. Therefore, the public's admiration is extremely large.

However, the Chilean Football Federation did not do a good job of security, leading to an incident where too many fans came to welcome the team at the airport. This also caused delays and many inconveniences, forcing the team members to wait for many hours to return to the hotel."

Messi and coach Scaloni discuss the situation of the Argentina team after securing a place at the 2026 World Cup

Photo: Reuters

Argentina is currently at the top of the South American qualifying round and has officially secured a ticket to the 2026 World Cup. Chile is at the bottom of the table with only 10 points after 14 matches. They need to beat Argentina to regain their chance to compete for a ticket to the Intercontinental play-off round (7th place is 5 points behind Venezuela). However, Chile's current form is very low, they have only won 1 of their last 8 matches in the South American qualifying round (2 draws, 5 losses).

In the first leg, Chile lost 0-3 away to Argentina in September 2024. In this rematch, Argentina will be missing many important players, such as midfielders Enzo Fernandez (carded) and Mac Allister (injured). Center-back Otamendi and midfielder Paredes are also suspended due to card suspensions. Lo Celso and striker Lautaro Martinez have not yet recovered their fitness after the European Cup finals at Real Betis and Inter Milan.

Therefore, coach Scaloni will certainly have many experiments with young players such as Giuliano Simeone, Thiago Almada, Nico Paz or Exequiel Palacios, Leonardo Balerdi. Even the 17-year-old player Franco Mastantuono of River Plate Club, the player who is currently being recruited by two leading European teams Real Madrid and PSG, will also have the opportunity to play.

In addition, veteran players such as De Paul, goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and Messi, will be considered for the match in the official squad or as a reserve right before the match.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doi-tuyen-argentina-va-messi-bi-bao-vay-o-san-bay-chile-co-nguy-co-bi-phat-185250605113836813.htm