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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Niall McVeigh

Lionel Messi and the Spinal Tap farce-o-meter cranking up to 11

Lionel Messi in action against Vissel Kobe
Lionel Messi and ‘the greatest letdown of all time’. Photograph: Naoki Nishimura/USA Today Sports

CHINA CRISIS

In June 1969, El Salvador defeated Honduras to qualify for the World Cup after three matches marred by crowd violence against the backdrop of diplomatic tension between the two nations. On the same day as the final playoff game, El Salvador dissolved diplomatic ties with their neighbours, putting them on course for a four-day military conflict still known as the “Football War”. By sheer coincidence, Inter Miami’s ill-fated pre-season world tour kicked off last month … in El Salvador. Just a few weeks later, the MLS side have somehow stumbled into a diplomatic incident of their own.

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