The Paraguayan Football Association took strict decisions before its national team faced Argentina in the Latin American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup finals, in which the “Tango” star, Lionel Messi, became a victim.
Paraguay will host its Argentine counterpart next Friday morning (2:30 Mecca time) at the Defensores del Chaco stadium in the capital, Asuncion, in the 11th round of the World Cup qualifiers.
The Spanish newspaper “AS” called the strict rules imposed by the Paraguayan Federation before the match the “Anti-Messi Law,” which stipulates that fans wearing a shirt bearing the name of the Argentine star are denied entry to the stadium.
Fernando Villasboa, director of licensing at the Paraguay Football Federation, said in a radio interview, “Those fans who wear the shirts of the Argentine national team, Barcelona or Inter Miami bearing the name Messi will not be allowed to enter the stadium.”
He added, “We will also not allow anyone wearing an Argentina shirt, Argentine clubs, or clubs bearing the names of players from other countries to enter.”
“We would like to inform fans in advance of the need to avoid any unpleasant situations that might prevent them from entering the stadium,” Villasboa explained. “These shirts are only accepted in the visitors’ fans’ section provided that they have a ticket, but this will be prohibited in the stands.”
The football official continued, “I confirm that we will place checkpoints around the stadium and at the gates to implement these measures, and whoever violates these measures will be asked to leave the area quietly. All we are thinking about is filling the stadium with the colors of the Peroja (the colors of the Paraguayan national team) so that the players feel the great support of the club.” “The stands.”
Banning the wearing of the Brazilian Vinicius shirt
According to the Spanish newspaper, this procedure is not new in Paraguay, whose officials had previously done the same thing with Brazilian Vinicius Junior, the Real Madrid star, in the match between the two teams in the eighth round.
In the match that took place on September 11, fans wearing a shirt bearing the name of the Brazilian star were not allowed in the stands.
The Paraguay national team occupies sixth place in the 2026 World Cup qualifying table, and has 13 points collected from 3 wins and 4 draws, a position that will qualify the team to the finals if it maintains it.
As for Argentina, it leads the standings with 22 points, 3 points ahead of second-placed Colombia, and after the Paraguay match is completed, Messi’s teammates will host Peru in the 12th round, at dawn next Wednesday.
