Rosario Central Sends Formal Notice to Foreign Minister Demanding Apology

The Argentine football club Rosario Central has formally demanded an apology from Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno, threatening legal action if he fails to comply within 48 hours. The dispute centers on Quirno's strong criticism of a club social media post that excluded Lionel Messi and coach Lionel Scaloni from a photograph of the national team.

Rosario Central argues that Quirno's remarks, made after Argentina's loss in the 2026 World Cup final, were "false, malicious, ill-intentioned, and offensive." The club stated that Quirno "lied with bad intentions" and that the exclusion of Messi and Scaloni was not an act of animosity towards their former club, Newell's Old Boys.

According to the club's statement, signed by president Gonzalo Belloso, the photograph was chosen to honor Giovanni Lo Celso, a player from Rosario Central who started in the match against Jordan during the group stage of the World Cup. The club emphasized that highlighting players from their own academy is natural and that other Argentine clubs had also posted similar tributes to their former players.

Quirno had reposted the club's image, writing, "One can always be more hateful... Removing Messi and [Lionel] Scaloni from this photo for being from Newell's is another institutional disgrace added to having accepted that infamous trophy." Rosario Central asserts that Quirno should have known that no one was intentionally removed, as all eleven players were present in the original team photo. The club views Quirno's public statements as damaging to its prestige and the feelings of its supporters.