Messi jerseys are prohibited in Paraguay ahead of to the World Cup qualifier.

Messi jerseys are prohibited in Paraguay prior to the World Cup qualifier.Lionel Scaloni, the coach of Argentina, is certain that the home section will feature Lionel Messi jerseys, despite the Paraguayan Football Association’s (APF) prohibition on rival shirts in advance of Thursday’s South American World Cup 2026 qualifier.

On Thursday, Argentina will face Paraguay at the Defensores del Chaco stadium in Asuncion. Fernando Villasboa, the manager of APF, has advised the home crowd to wear only Paraguayan shirts, as jerseys from Argentina, Argentine clubs, or clubs that contain the names of players from other countries will not be permitted.

“We will not permit the shirt of the opposing team.” Messi is not affected by this. We hold the careers of all footballers in high regard. It is simply that the home ground is of paramount importance to us,” Villasboa stated to the local press on Wednesday.

Gustavo Alfaro, the coach of Paraguay, stated, “I am not involved in the t-shirt ban.” I was unaware of that. I believe the objective is to diminish the potential basis for a conflict.

“Messi is our rival tomorrow, I wish him the best game of his life against Peru, but not tomorrow,” according to him.

Nevertheless, Scaloni asserted that the global influence of Argentina’s number 10, who is the country’s all-time leading scorer and World Cup winner, is significantly greater.

“In a logical sense, the national team shirt is a desire for both the Paraguayan footballer and the fan.” Scaloni stated at a news conference on Wednesday that “Leo (Messi) is stronger than all of that, and there will be Argentina shirts.”

“It does not imply that they do not support Paraguay.” I believe it is beneficial that football enthusiasts acknowledge his identity. Additionally, it is not solely due to the possession of a garment that one becomes an Argentina supporter.

Argentina is currently the leader of the South American standings, with 22 points, three points ahead of Colombia. Following the Paraguay match, they will host Peru on November 19.