Argentina uncertain over Messi's availability

Argentinian Football Association president Julio Grondona admits the AFA can do nothing more than cross their fingers and hope Barcelona will release Lionel Messi for the Olympics.

The Catalan club do not want the forward to travel to Beijing for next month's Games as that would rule him out of the preliminary rounds of the Champions League.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter again reiterated on Wednesday that it is 'mandatory' for clubs to release players aged 23 and under for Olympic duty.

But Grondona told La Nacion newspaper: 'We have done whatever it was possible for us to do.

'If in the end he doesn't come, then it's bad luck. I am living with uncertainty at the moment.'

Wednesday is the last day Barcelona are officially allowed to keep hold of Messi, who is scheduled to join up with the Argentina Under-23 side in Japan for a friendly against the hosts in Tokyo on July 29.

And Grondona insisted he will not accept Barcelona's offer to release Messi after the first leg of their Champions League qualifier on either August 12 or 13. That would mean the attacker would miss the start of the Olympics.

The AFA president said: 'Who can guarantee we will qualify for quarter-finals (of the Olympics)?'

Grondona would, though, accept Messi's arrival with 11 or 12 days to go before the Olympic tournament kicks off, even though the official deadline is 14 days.

'If he comes 11 or 12 days before the tournament, it doesn't matter,' he added.