Argentina coach criticizes two defenders being delayed due to visa issue

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has expressed his dissatisfaction with the late arrival of two of the most prominent defenders in the squad to participate in two friendlies in the United States in preparation for the 2022 World Cup, after a visa issue linked to the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

It was scheduled to join Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez and his counterpart in Tottenham Christian Romero to the "Tango" before the Honduran national team at Inter Miami on Friday and Jamaica in New York on Tuesday.

However, following the death of the British Queen, the US Embassy in London closed its doors, forcing both players to return to Argentina to secure a visa to come to the United States.

While Martinez arrived in Miami in time for the Honduran friendly, doubts remain over Romero's fate, while Scaloni remains unsure whether the latter will be available for the second game at the Red Bull Arena.

"It annoys me," Scaloni told reporters. "This is an important week of training for us before the World Cup and Cristian (Romero) is not there. His request is late."

Scaloni suffers from several problems in the defense line, especially with the injury of Juan Foyth, so that Lionel Messi's companions start their race against time to reach the highest levels of physical technicality ahead of the preparations for the football wedding in Qatar, where they will face Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Poland in the third group.

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