Kazi Salahuddin, the head of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), made the announcement today that Lionel Messi’s Argentina team will not be coming to Bangladesh to play a friendly game this year.
This year, Argentina will not travel to Bangladesh since it will be impossible to get the stadium ready in time for their match. According to what Salahuddin shared with The Daily Star, “We have communicated with the Sports Ministry and sent them an official letter. They informed us that it will not be possible for them to prepare the venue by this year.”
“I had, however, a doubt when we were going to make a deal with the sponsor as we only have one ground,” he added, adding that the decision was taken a month ago. “I had a doubt when we were going to make a deal with the sponsor as we only have one ground.” Earlier in the year, in January of this year, Salahuddin stated that they were investigating the possibility of Argentina playing a friendly game in Bangladesh during this year.
Messi and the Argentina national team were in Bangladesh for the last time on September 6, 2011, when they competed in a friendly match against Nigeria at the Bangabandhu National Stadium. When the BFF most recently played host to La Albiceleste for an invitational friendly, the event cost upwards of three to four million United States Dollars.
Following Argentina’s victory over France in the final match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which took place in Qatar in December of the previous year, Messi has now led his country to their third world championship.
Salahuddin went on to disclose further that the BFF had made contact with the currently reigning World Champions and obtained a favourable answer from them.
When the head of the BFF was asked whether it would be feasible for them to bring Argentina the following year, he responded that “it will all depend on sponsor.”