A politician has demanded that Argentina captain Lionel Messi be handed a permanent ban from entering their country.
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Following Argentina's 2-0 win over Mexico in the 2022 FIFA World Cup group stage, Messi found himself at the centre of a controversy involving famous Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarez.
The fighter took to social media to vent his anger at Messi for the 35-year-old's apparent disrespect towards Mexico, believing the Argentine had intentionally kicked the Mexican jersey he took from Andres Guardado.
Canelo, however, later apologised for his online rant and admitted that the heat of the moment got the better of him following his nation's crashing out of the tournament in Qatar.
That, though, has not stopped Mexican politician Maria Clemente Garcia Moreno, who has reportedly filed a motion to ban the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner from entering the central American country in future.
The file presented to ministers, according to the Daily Mirror, reads: "The Chamber of Deputies of the Honorable Congress of the Union respectfully urges the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to issue the corresponding Declaration in order to declare persona non grata within of the territory of the United Mexican States to the citizen of Argentine and Spanish nationality, Lionel Andres Messi Cuccitini, due to his manifest contempt and lack of respect towards Mexico during the World Cup of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) on Saturday, November 26, 2022."
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Asked about the incident in an interview recently, Messi insisted he had nothing to apologise for, while Guardado, whose shirt it was, has publicly defended the Argentina captain's character.
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