The Argentine Football Association has ordered every match in the country's domestic football calendar to stop at the 10th minute for a one-minute tribute to Lionel Messi, following his retirement from the national team.
The decision, formalised in Boletín N° 6940 by the AFA’s executive board, applies to men’s and women’s football, futsal and beach football across every division governed by the association.
Messi wore the number 10 shirt for almost the entirety of his 21 years with Argentina, and the AFA has chosen the 10th minute for the tribute instead of staging a single ceremony at one ground.
What the AFA's Tribute Order Actually Requires
The bulletin states that at the next round of fixtures, referees must halt play ten minutes into the first half so players, officials, and supporters can applaud in recognition of Messi's career with the national team. Stadiums equipped with video screens face an additional requirement.
Before kickoff, those grounds must broadcast an AFA institutional video dedicated to Messi. The association had already produced and released the tribute on its social channels, with the 90-second video narrated in the voice of the AFA crest and thanking Messi for carrying the national team with pride throughout his career.
The video predates the bulletin, but the new resolution requires it to be shown before matches at stadiums with video screens.
When the Lionel Messi Tribute Begins Across Argentine Football
The measure takes effect with the next round of fixtures. In the Primera División, that means Matchday 8 of the Torneo Clausura, starting Friday. Messi captained Argentina from 2011 and remained the team's central figure through three World Cup cycles.
Messi continues playing for Inter Miami and has given no indication of retiring from football altogether. A standalone farewell match, separate from this weekend’s applause, has been discussed but not confirmed.
The next FIFA international window, running from September 21 to October 6, has been mentioned as one possible date. The AFA has not indicated whether Messi would take part in such a fixture, and no formal proposal has been made public.
