Football
Adriana Garcia 7y

Lionel Messi, Argentina's media boycott backed by Diego Maradona

Diego Maradona has come out in support of Lionel Messi and the Argentina players over their decision to boycott the media.

Argentina captain Messi announced after last week's 3-0 home win over Colombia in a 2018 World Cup qualifier in San Juan that he and the rest of the squad would not speak to the press until further notice because they felt they were mistreated -- with an allegation made by one journalist about Ezequiel Lavezzi the final straw.

Asked about Messi's decision, the 1986 World Cup winner with Argentina Maradona told Sport360: "I was the creator of the "silenzio stampa" [full silence] with Napoli 30 years ago. I'm not inside the Argentina team and I don't know what the motivation to take this decision is but if the whole group thinks it is a right decision, then (this) is perfect for me."

Maradona, who coached Argentina to the quarterfinals of the 2010 World Cup and led Napoli to two Serie A titles in three years as a player, was relieved to see his national team get their World Cup qualifying campaign on track after Messi scored one and set up two others in last week's victory over Colombia.

Argentina had gone into that encounter feeling the heat after taking two points of a possible 12 in their previous four games, including a 3-0 defeat away to Brazil on Nov. 19.

"They looked a different team against Colombia and have to achieve point by point -- nobody wins anything with history," Maradona said. "We will get to the World Cup. Just imagine a tournament without Argentina, it will be very boring!"

The Albiceleste are in fifth place in the South American group with 19 points from 12 matches. The top four teams go straight into the 2018 finals in Russia while the fifth side qualifies for an intercontinental playoff.

Maradona, 56, has also spoken against FIFA president Gianni Infantino's intention to expand the World Cup to 48 teams by 2026, 16 of which would go home after one match.

Infantino claimed that a bigger World Cup would be for sporting reasons, "not a financial or political decision" and that a final decision would be made next year. Maradona, who played in four World Cups, disagrees with the plans.

"When I was talking with Infantino, I told him he should be quiet, don't say quickly, 'we are going to have a World Cup with 50 teams or 130 teams,' to attract people, because in that way we are lying to the people," he said.

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