Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has expressed dissatisfaction with the late arrival of two of the country’s most outstanding defenders for two U.S. friendlies in preparation for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar following a visa issue related to the Queen’s death. Elizabeth II.

He was scheduled to join Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez and fellow Tottenham Hotspur Christian Romero in the Tango in front of Honduras at Inter Miami on Friday and Jamaica in New York on Tuesday.

But after the death of the British queen, the US embassy in London closed its doors, forcing both players to return to Argentina to obtain a visa to enter the United States.

While Martinez arrived in Miami in time for the friendly against Honduras, doubts remain about Romero’s fate, while Scaloni is unsure if the latter will be available for a second game at the Red Bull Arena.

“It annoys me,” Scaloni told reporters. “It’s an important week of training for us before the World Cup and Christian Romero is not there. His request is too late.”

Scaloni is suffering from several problems in the defensive line, especially an injury to Juan Foit, so Lionel Messi’s teammates start their time trial to reach the highest level of physical technique ahead of preparations for a football wedding in Qatar where they will face Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Poland is in the third group.

Scaloni added: “We have great respect for Honduras. Although they will not participate in the World Cup, they have a strong tradition and good players”, stressing that the Argentine “won’t underestimate any team”.

Regarding the reception of the Argentinean national team in Miami, he said: “There are many Argentines here who welcomed us warmly and made us feel at home.”

On the other hand, Honduran defender Denil Maldonado confirmed that his country would not back down in front of Messi and his comrades and vowed to make the Scaloni team’s evening difficult, stating: “We never had bad intentions to go into a match like this, but we plan to play hard and hard.”

“It could be a friendly game for Argentina, but we plan to keep our spirit on the pitch and show that the Honduras team has the quality and the will to compete,” he concluded.