We aren't the best nor the favourites, Messi warns Argentina fans

Argentine soccer player Angel Di Maria said Tuesday that safety concerns mean he will not finish his career in his native Rosario, after a bullet-pierced pig's head was thrown at a family business.

The 36-year-old, who won the World Cup with Argentina in 2022, had said he wanted to return to his boyhood club in the nation's third-largest city, which has recently seen an explosion in gang-related crime.

"There was a threat at my sister's business: it was a box with a pig head and a bullet in the forehead, and a note that said that if I returned to (Rosario) Central, the next head was that of my daughter Pia," Di Maria told TV station Rosario3.

"I am not going to return to Rosario in this way. They touched my family and I am not going to allow that. Not at any price," he said, adding he wanted to protect the "peace and happiness" of his family.

Di Maria, who has played for Manchester United, has faced other threats including a note thrown into a family property in March threatening their lives if he joined any club in Rosario, a city in the central Santa Fe province.

Argentine authorities said at the time the note contained a threat from "criminal organizations" putting on a show of strength.

Santa Fe Governor Maximiliano Pullaro said this month there were protocols in place to guarantee the safety of public figures.

But Di Maria said he disagreed: "It is disrespectful to talk about security and protocols for me when people from Rosario cannot go out to work, cannot wait for the bus without being robbed or killed for a backpack."

Several high-profile South American footballers have faced criminal actions ranging from threats to serious crime, such as kidnapping and blackmail.

Also in Rosario, gunmen opened fire last year on a shop belonging to the family of World Cup-winning Argentine captain Lionel Messi's wife.

They left a threatening message for the footballer in what was also interpreted as gangs flexing their muscles.

Meanwhile, guerilla fighters in Colombia kidnapped the father of Liverpool footballer Luis Diaz last October and held him for 12 days before freeing him.

Argentina captain Lionel Messi has urged his compatriots to be realistic in their World Cup expectations, warning that other teams heading to Russia are better.

In an interview with Argentine Canal 13, Messi also discussed why he did not take the chance to play for Spain and said that Barcelona will be his only European club.

"People need to know that we are not going to Russia as favourites but we have a group of very good players and we are ready to scrap," Messi said.

Asked if Argentina could win the World Cup, Messi swerved between hope and realism.

"I believe so, I have faith in this team," he said.

"We have players with talent and experience. We cannot send the message that we are the best, because that's not true."

"Quite a few squads are better," he said singling out Brazil, Spain and Germany.

Messi has won multiple Champions League and Club World Cup titles with Barca.

But he "would swap any one of those titles with Barcelona" for a World Cup win.

Messi moved to Barcelona at the age of 13 and would have been eligible to play for Spain.

"The other day I was talking to a friend and he said to me: 'Look, if you had stayed with Spain, you would be world champion'," Messi said.

"But it wouldn't have been the same. Obviously, it never crossed my mind at any time."

Messi repeated that he dreams not only of playing for Argentina but in Argentina, preferably for his boyhood club Newell's Old Boys.

"I am more and more clear that, in Europe, Barcelona is going to be my only home," he said. "I've always said that I want to play someday in Argentina."

"It would be Newell's, no one else. I'd like to do that for at least six months, but you never know what is going to happen."

In Russia, Argentina will face Iceland, Nigeria and Croatia in what he called "a complicated group".

Iceland, he said, "compete with anybody" pointing to their surprising run at Euro 2016.

Nigeria, Messi said, are "always tough for us". He missed the friendly in Krasnodar in November that Nigeria won 4-2. The countries have met four times in the World Cup and Argentina have won by one goal every time.

Messi compared Croatia to Spain "for controlling the ball, the quality of their midfield players".

"We have to think we will finish first in this group, but it won't be easy."

Argentina play Haiti on Tuesday in Buenos Aires and Israel on June 9 in Jerusalem in their two warm up games.

Russia was the target of almost 25 million cyber-attacks during the World Cup, President Vladimir Putin said, though he did not indicate who may have been behind the attacks.

"During the period of the World Cup, almost 25 million cyber-attacks and other criminal acts on the information structures in Russia, linked in one way or another to the World Cup, were neutralised," Putin said during a meeting on Sunday with security services. The comments were reported by the Kremlin on Monday.

Paris Olympics organisers are looking into what led to a pitch invasion during the opening match of the Olympic soccer tournament between Argentina and Morocco, they said on Thursday.

Argentina lost 2-1 following a VAR review after play was suspended with the scores level at 2-2 but the final result was only confirmed two hours later when the game was restarted.

"The football match between Argentina and Morocco at the Saint-Etienne Stadium was suspended due to a pitch invasion by a small number of spectators," Games organisers said.

"The match then restarted and was able to conclude safely. Paris 2024 is working with the relevant stakeholders to understand the causes and identify appropriate actions."

Argentina's Cristian Medina scored deep in stoppage time to salvage what looked like a 2-2 draw, but the decision ruling out the goal for offside following a VAR review was delivered about two hours after play was suspended.

Once order was restored and the teams had left the field following the invasion in which security staff chased several fans around the pitch, it became clear the match had not been completed but suspended.

The teams re-emerged to finish the match in an empty stadium, playing for three minutes and 15 seconds after VAR completed its review and disallowed the goal, in a turbulent start to the competition.

Croatian President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic has won many admirers for own performance at the World Cup final in Moscow, where she stood in driving rain at the closing ceremony, smiled and hugged every player from both teams.

Croatia lost to France 4-2 in a thrilling final on Sunday.

Grabar Kitarovic, clad in a red-and white Croatia soccer shirt, stood on the podium with Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron when the medals were given to the players.

While Putin was handed an umbrella, she stood soaked but smiling in the heavy rain, clearly delighted by Croatia's brave showing. Aides eventually found her an umbrella.

"Best scene at the World Cup. Pouring Rain, no umbrella and Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic hugs every single player from Croatia and France, even if Croatia has just lost. That's pure emotional and so warmly. No politics, only sport! Congrats to both teams!," a comment on social media said.

Another one pointed out her graceful demeanour despite Croatia losing the final.

"A heart broken Croatia President looks graceful in defeat hugging every player!," it said.

"She made the fans more emotional," another comment added.

Grabar Kitarovic displayed great passion throughout the tournament, following the team in all the games after the group stage but missing the semi-final against England due to the NATO summit in Brussels.

"The Croatian president is coming out of this as the winner. Football shirt, rain, crying, hair ruined, doesn’t give a damn," was another one among many comments.

Some also saw a display of a great sporting spirit as she hugged players from both teams: "Loved your gesture and sporting spirit during World Cup final game. You are the true epitome of sportsman spirit. Way to Go!"

Later on Monday, the Croatian capital Zagreb will stage a welcome celebration for the soccer team, which achieved the greatest success in the history of Croatian football, surpassing their performance 20 years ago when Croatia won the third place at the World Cup in France.