Fans repeatedly booed Argentine Football Association president Claudio Tapia during Lionel Messi’s last match for the national team at Monumental Stadium. La Nación reported that a planned gift ceremony for Messi was moved indoors.
La Nación said chants against Tapia began before Argentina’s warm-up and spread across the stadium. The newspaper’s reporters said they came from several stands, not only from River Plate’s traditional supporters’ section. Tapia did not go onto the field, having anticipated a hostile response, the report said.
Messi played his 22nd match at Monumental that night and River Plate named him an honorary member, presenting him with a plaque and a shirt bearing his name. A post-match tribute had been planned at midfield with Tapia, CONMEBOL president Alejandro Domínguez and Venezuelan Football Federation president Jorge Giménez. It was instead held in a stadium gym.
According to La Nación, Tapia gave Messi framed miniatures of Argentina shirts and trophies, an Argentine flag and replicas of the cups he had won. Domínguez presented him with a mate, a ring, a copy of the 2024 Copa América trophy and the ball from the final against Colombia. The newspaper said organizers moved the presentation to avoid intensifying the crowd’s reaction.
The crowd also jeered during the pre-match show. The strongest reaction came when drones displayed the name of an AFA sponsor in the sky. La Nación described other production problems: a concert ended early after an electrical fault, while crowding, delays and poor sound made it difficult to hear Messi.
The AFA said the chants against Tapia may have been “orchestrated,” but La Nación reported that officials acknowledge it will be difficult to regain the public’s support. The article links the anger to wider Argentine football controversies, including frequent rule changes, doubts about refereeing, national team ticket prices and legal cases involving AFA leaders.
La Nación identified Marketing Sports Argentina, associated with Mariano Camerota, as the event organizer. The company has worked with the AFA on matches and ceremonies for years, including events around Argentina’s 2022 World Cup victory and a Messi fan festival this week. The newspaper also recalled that Tapia was booed before an Argentina–Mauritania match in March 2026, though at the time the reaction could have been aimed at Boca Juniors leadership. This time, it said, the target was clear.