Argentina’s national team has cancelled an audience with the Pope, scheduled to take place at the Vatican on Wednesday.
Pope Francis, a native of Argentina, said last month that he would receive Jorge Sampaoli’s squad at the Vatican prior to the World Cup.
However, the Argentina Football Association (AFA) has altered the team’s schedule, meaning captain Lionel Messi and the squad will no longer travel to Rome, Vatican press office director Greg Burke said.
Burke wrote on Twitter: “The audience of the Pope with the Argentina national team has been called off. We will wait for them with joy when they return from the Cup!”
Pope Francis, born in Buenos Aires, is a football fan and a member of Argentine club San Lorenzo de Almagro.