No Lionel Messi clash for Hibs pair Martin Boyle and Jackson Irvine as Australia pull out of Copa America
Australia have pulled out of the Copa America, denying Hibs pair Martin Boyle and Jackson Irvine the chance to face Lionel Messi.
The Aussies, along with Qatar, were the invited pair to the tournament which had been scheduled to play last year but was postponed due to the pandemic.
It comes following the Asian Football Confederation’s decision to move dates for World Cup 2022 qualifiers.
Australia were set to face Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia in the group stages.
Boyle and Irvine would have been given the opportunity to take their talents to the South American stage and face the continent’s finest in Argentina.
Boyle has spoken previously of being on the same pitch as one of his “heroes”.
He said: “It’s a massive stage and the majority of the world would have been watching the big players playing. A team like Australia getting invited into it can only make it even bigger and we could have gone over there and made a mark.”