AFA orders all matches to pause at minute ten to honour Messi
The Argentine Football Association has decided that, on the next scheduled date for all its competitions, every match will be halted at the tenth minute as a tribute to Lionel Messi following his announcement of retirement from the Argentina national team.
Tribute plan across all disciplines
La casa madre resolvió mediante su mesa directiva que en la próxima fecha de todas sus disciplinas se detengan los partidos al minuto diez y se le brinde un homenaje a "Leo" por su trayectoria en la "Albiceleste". The resolution was taken by the Asociación de Fútbol Argentino, which described the gesture as a small but meaningful act for the astro rosarino. It will affect football, basketball, handball and every sport under the AFA umbrella.
Ambassador proposal in parliament
La diputada Mónica Frade impulsó en la Cámara baja un proyecto de resolución para que Lionel Messi sea reconocido como Embajador Ilustre e Itinerante de la República Argentina. The text highlights his two‑decade service to the Selección and seeks "reconocimiento y beneplácito" for the captain’s impact on the nation. If approved, the proposal would formalise his status as a cultural and sporting icon of the country.
Messi, who currently captains Inter Miami, will also be featured in stadiums equipped with video screens that will broadcast the AFA’s institutional video dedicated to his career. The broadcast will run alongside the minute‑ten pause, ensuring fans across the country witness the tribute simultaneously.
During his tenure, the rosarino added the Copa América 2021, the Finalissima 2022 against Italy, the World Cup Qatar 2022 and a second Copa América in 2024 to the national honours list. He spent more than two decades wearing the albiceleste shirt, a period that Frade described as a "space of meeting, illusion and joy" for the Argentine people.
Frade also noted that in years of economic and social difficulty, Messi’s performances provided collective happiness, with thousands taking to the streets to celebrate the 2021 and 2022 triumphs. The upcoming minute‑ten pause will therefore serve both as a sporting salute and a reminder of the unifying power of his legacy.