MIAMI: Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi has confirmed in an interview with US broadcaster ESPN that he will not attempt to win a second gold medal with Argentina at the Paris Olympics this summer.
“I spoke with (Argentinian Olympic coach Javier) Mascherano, and we immediately agreed on the situation,” Inter Miami forward Messi said in the interview broadcast on Wednesday.
“It’s a difficult moment, because there’s the Copa America, and that would mean two or three consecutive months away from my club.
“At my age, I don’t want to play everything and I need to make the right choices,” added the former Barcelona star who was a member of Argentina’s 2008 Olympic gold medal winning team.
Messi, who turns 37 on June 24, will be with defending champions Argentina at the Copa America from June 20 to July 14 in the United States, just a few weeks before the Olympics start on July 26.
Messi, however, has not closed the door on taking part in a record-breaking sixth World Cup, to be held in 2026 between the US, Canada and Mexico.
“It’s great to have records and continue to achieve things but I won’t take part in a World Cup just to say I’ve done six,” said Messi.
“If I feel good and everything is in place for me to be there, fine, but I won’t go just to go.”
“It’s very difficult to imagine what can happen because it’s still two years away. I don’t need to commit right now to whether or not I’ll be there.”
Messi to miss Olympics but leaves door open for 2026 World Cup
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Messi to miss Olympics but leaves door open for 2026 World Cup
- Messi, who turns 37 on June 24, will be with defending champions Argentina at the Copa America from June 20 to July 14 in the United States, just a few weeks before the Olympics start on July 26
Players boycott forces Bangladesh cricket to remove official for disparaging remarks
- The board removed Nazmul Islam as chairman of the finance committee to meet player demands that he resign
- Two scheduled matches in the Bangladesh Premier League and four in the Dhaka Cricket League on Thursday were not played
DHAKA: A players boycott which postponed matches in the Bangladesh Premier League on Thursday prompted the Bangladesh Cricket Board to force out an official after his disparaging remarks about players started the disruption.
The board removed Nazmul Islam as chairman of the finance committee to meet player demands that he resign.
Two scheduled matches in the Bangladesh Premier League and four in the Dhaka Cricket League on Thursday were not played after the cricketers — many of them Bangladesh internationals — did not turn up at the grounds.
Neither the Cricketers Welfare Association of Bangladesh, the players’ body, nor the BCB said the boycott was over, putting in doubt whether Friday’s games in both domestic leagues will go ahead.
Nazmul said on Wednesday that he believed national cricketers should return the “crores and crores of taka” that the BCB spends on them if Bangladesh withdraws from the men’s T20 World Cup in India next month.
It’s a ripple from the BCB decision not to play World Cup matches in India after premier fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was released by IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders on the instructions of the Board of Control for Cricket in India. The BCB wants its World Cup games moved to co-host Sri Lanka.
The players immediately threatened a domestic boycott if Nazmul didn’t resign and the BCB distanced itself from Nazmul’s comments. Then the BCB president got rid of him on Thursday.
“The decision ... is aimed at ensuring the continued smooth and effective functioning of the board’s affairs. Until further notice, the BCB president will assume the role of acting chairman of the finance committee,” a BCB statement said.
“The BCB reiterates that the interests of the cricketers remain its highest priority. The board remains fully committed to upholding the honor and dignity of all players under its jurisdiction.”
Bangladesh is scheduled to play three World Cup group games in Kolkata, including its opener against the West Indies on Feb. 7. One game is scheduled to be hosted in Mumbai.
