Paraguay bans Messi shirts against Argentina!

In a controversial move, the Paraguayan Football Association has announced that any fans wearing the shirt of Argentine star Lionel Messi will not be welcome in the stadium for Paraguay's match against Argentina next Thursday, in the eleventh round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Fernando Villasuapa, president of the Paraguayan Football Association, explained that the decision includes the shirts of the Argentine national team, in addition to the shirts of Barcelona and Inter Miami, the clubs for which Messi played during his career. The aim of this decision is to enhance the patriotic atmosphere inside the stadium and support the Paraguayan national team, with an emphasis on the red and white colours of the country. Speaking on Radio "La Red", Villasuapa said: "We are all partners in this match in our own way, and we want the stands to remain full of our Paraguayan colours." This policy was successfully applied in the previous match against Brazil, where Vinicius Junior fans were forced to leave their shirts at home or face being sent off from the stadium, which contributed to Paraguay's 1-0 victory over Brazil. Argentina currently leads the 2026 World Cup qualifiers with 22 points, while Paraguay is in sixth place with 13 points, and hopes to win this decisive match to improve its chances of qualifying directly for the World Cup.