Missing maestro a real Messi

THOSE fans who shelled out to see Lionel Messi in action for Argentina against Italy, at the Etihad on Friday, have every right to feel aggrieved that the little maestro wasn’t even on the bench.

And it’s high time that when games like that are put on by a private company, under FIFA’s jurisdiction, those thinking about buying tickets are told, as a courtesy, who is or isn’t going to be playing.

It’s different when it’s Argentina versus Italy in Buenos Aires — after all, the home media will soon know whether or not Messi (at the Etihad, above) is playing.

But if it’s a game on foreign soil, where a private company is making a few quid, then it’s only right fans have all the information before they part with their hard-earned cash.

Of course, the private companies putting on these matches will say the Argentine federation pick 23 players and it’s up to them who they select to play.

And people may still choose to go to check out the likes of Gonzalo Higuain, Angel Di Maria and, from Italy, Gianluigi Buffon and Leonardo Bonucci.

But, like in the US, where the ‘disabled list’ is made public, they should at least buy their tickets in good faith of what, or more importantly who, they are going to see.