Lionel Messi's Argentina teammates given oxygen tubes to cope with altitude of La Paz (3,637 meters) ahead of Bolivia clash

Rajarshi has been part of Khel Now since 2022, and he covers world football.

Published at :September 11, 2023 at 10:06 PM

Modified at :September 11, 2023 at 10:06 PM

Lionel Messi's Argentina teammates given oxygen tubes to cope with altitude of La Paz (3,637 meters) ahead of Bolivia clash

Bolivia Stadium is located 3,600 metres above sea level

Before their match against Bolivia on Tuesday, Argentina's players were given portable oxygen tubes to help them deal with the high altitude of La Paz (3,637 meters).

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The World Cup qualifier is scheduled to take place in the Estadio Hernando Siles in La Paz, which is 3,637 metres above the water's surface. The stadium is one of the tallest in the world for professional sports.

Alexis MacAllister, a midfielder for Liverpool, shared a photo of himself at La Paz with an oxygen tube, while Cristian Romero appeared to be leaving the team bus holding one.

After a FIFA regulation prohibited stadiums higher than 2,500 metres, the Bolivian stadium was temporarily unable to host qualifying matches because there was worry that visiting teams would have little time to acclimatise and would be at a major disadvantage.

A few months later, the Estadio Hernando Siles received a special exclusion, and the height restriction was raised to 3,000 metres.

However, there is still some controversy surrounding the stadium's use, with Neymar calling the circumstances 'inhumane' after uploading images of Brazilian players using oxygen masks before a 2018 World Cup qualifier.

Apart from the height, Lionel Messi's conditioning is going to be one of Argentina's main worries.

After netting a 94th-minute free kick in Thursday's 1-0 victory over Ecuador, the Inter Miami superstar was replaced.

After the game, Argentina's coach Lionel Scaloni said that Messi had 'felt something' and requested to leave the field. After having preventative testing, Messi was then observed exiting the IMAXE medical centre on Saturday.

Messi, though, is still a possibility to play against Bolivia; according to Scaloni, a decision regarding his participation will be made on Monday.

Scaloni said: 'Messi is going to travel to Bolivia. Today he trained differently, but there are still two days left until the game and we will make the decision tomorrow whether he plays or not. The team is going to be similar to the one that played against Ecuador.'

Rajarshi Shukla

After earning a bachelor's degree in mass media, Rajarshi began his career as a sports writer in 2019, driven by his passion for sports journalism. He has been working in the field for over six years. A devoted fan of Lionel Messi and Barcelona, Rajarshi has been involved in sports since childhood. Before turning his focus to journalism, he even represented his college at the state level. Along with covering football, he enjoys playing the game, watching movies, and experimenting with new recipes in his spare time, as cooking is one of his favorite hobbies.