August 17 – Argentine FA President Claudio Tapia has told the press that it won’t just be him speaking to them in future but that the that national team players will return to doing media interviews and end their boycott.
The Argentine team, led by Lionel Messi, last November spoke to the media to tell them that the players would no longer be speaking to them while on international duty. This last press conference took place after a win over Columbia last year.
“The players want to be close to the people but were mistreated at the time and they did not deserve it,” Tapia said. “In this new chapter of Argentine football, they are going to be important and the national team has to get close to the people and vice-versa. The national team is a priority for the AFA.”
The players felt that they were being mistreated by the press with numerous false allegations including a report claiming Ezequiel Lavezzi smoked marijuana after a training session. Argentine management have repeatedly asked them to change their position but the boycott remained in place.
Argentina have left their World Cup Qualification late. Currently in fifth position in qualifying, the intercontinental play-off position, they have four games left. Qualifying resumes at the end of August when they play Uruguay and Venezuela.
Argentine football, under the new president, is going through something of a rebirth with the exit of the FIFA normalisation committee that was overseeing the FA, and new national team head coach in Chilean Jorge Sampaoli and the unveiling of the new Superliga Argentina.
What the AFA now needs is the players to resume normal (and preferably positive) relations with the press as the game rebuilds its image in the country.
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