MESSI WILL NOT REVERSE ARGENTINA
RETIREMENT - MARADONA Daniel Owen
15:20
INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images The weak leadership of the AFA means the
Barcelona star will never play for his country
again, according to the 1986 World Cup winner Diego Maradona believes Lionel Messi will not
reverse his decision to quit the national team due to the
"weak leadership" of the Argentine Football
Federation (AFA). The five-time Ballon D'Or winner announced his
retirement from international duty in June after
missing from the spot in Argentina's penalty shoot-
out defeat to Chile in the Copa America Centenario, La Albiceleste's third major final defeat in as many years. Former Sao Paulo manager Edgardo Bauza, who
replaced Gerardo Martino at the helm earlier this
month, travelled to Spain on Wednesday to discuss
Messi's future but Maradona believes the Barcelona
forward will not go back on his decision. "I think Messi is going to say no to Bauza. This is
my thinking. Maybe I'm wrong," Maradona told Radio La Red . PLAY - Hide Videos Messi's shock announcement came just days after he
described the AFA as a "disaster" on his official
Instagram account after the team's flight to New
Jersey for the Copa final was delayed. And Maradona believes the latest dispute, coupled
with Argentina winning just three of their opening
six qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup, reflects the
extent of the problems within the governing body. "We are very bad. We run the risk of not going to
Qatar," the 1986 World Cup winning captain said.
"I've never seen such weak leadership. "What happened with Messi exposes what's been
going on for a lifetime. How is it that the families
of the [AFA] leaders are more comfortable than the
players?" Maradona announced he was seeking an audit of the
AFA last month, describing the governing body as
a 'mafia'. Argentina suffered a further blow on Wednesday,
exiting the Olympic Games at the group stage
following a 1-1 draw with Honduras.