Lionel Messi Could be Banned From Mexico

Lionel Messi faces trouble with Mexico after a social media post showed him supposedly kicking Andreas Guardado’s shirt in the aftermath of the Argentina and Mexico match.

The trouble started when boxing world champion Canelo Alvarez threatened the Argentine forward via Twitter. He tweeted, “Did you guys see Messi cleaning the floor with our jersey and flag. He better pray to God that I don't find him. Just like I respect Argentina, he has to respect Mexico!"

The boxer later apologised when he realized he got duped by a fake Instagram post showing a Mexico jersey being used to clean the floor.

Unfortunately, this was not the end for the Paris Saint-Germain star as someone decide to take action for the incident. Following the Twitter episode, influential transgender campaigner Maria Clemente Garcia Moreno has tabled a motion for official condemnation of Messi.

Since the release of the supposed shirt kicking on social media, Messi has insisted that it was a misunderstanding. Mexico star Andres Guardado also defended the player in an interview, stating, “I know the person Messi is. It's a deal with the staff that when it's all sweaty, it gets left on the floor. Be it your jersey or rival. Canelo doesn't know what a dressing room is. It seems silly to me. That shirt was mine, I exchanged it with Leo."

Moreno’s motion calls for the Mexican government to officially declare Lionel Messi ‘persona-non-grata’. According to the document, the reason for this was Messi’s “manifest contempt and lack of respect towards Mexico during the World Cup of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA)”.

Currently, the Argentine star is preparing for the quarter-finals match on Friday. If the motion falls through, he will not be allowed to enter Mexico.