In a major blow to Argentina, star player and skipper Lionel Messi will be missing the team's final Copa America group stage match on Saturday due to a right leg injury.
In addition, team manager Lionel Scaloni has been suspended from watching the Argentina vs Peru match from the sidelines as punishment for the team entering late on the pitch after halftime during the match against Chile, New York Post reported.
Along with the one-game suspension, the Argentina Football Association was fined $15,000.
Reacting to the news, Walter Samuel, an assistant coach and former defender for the national team, said to reporters, "Lionel is upset about this; we consider ourselves to be staff with a lot of professionalism."
Furthermore, Samuel also gave an update on the Inter Miami player’s health, saying, "Leo had an issue in the last match. He won't be joining us in the next one. We’re going day by day and awaiting his evolution."
La Pulga now has a couple of days to recover before playing in a quarterfinal matchup between Ecuador or Mexico, which will kick off on July 4 in Houston.
As per reports, due to Messi’s absence in the group final match, ticket prices have decreased by 22%.
Previously, Argentina vs Peru was the most-in-demand ticket for the tournament.