Lionel Scaloni will miss Argentina’s match against Peru: Why the half-time delay tactic led to a suspension at the Copa America

​Argentina justifies its status as tournament favorites at the 2024 Copa America with two wins out of two in Group A, but its performances have not been without criticism from opposing coaches, players and fans.

Lionel Messi’s team came under fire for embarrassing Canada in their opening match. The first half ended 0-0 and the Canadian national team players returned to the field on time for halftime, but had to wait for Messi and the rest of his teammates.

La Albiceleste repeated this feat in their second group match against Chile, where La Roja’s players were on the pitch for several minutes before Argentina came out of the tunnel for the second half.

The situation has sparked a debate about the tournament’s rules, with tournament organizer CONMEBOL stepping in to discipline Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni and his Chilean counterpart Ricardo Gareca over their timekeeping.

Sporting News takes a look at the situation and why neither Scaloni nor Gareca will be on the sidelines for their respective teams’ games on Saturday.

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Argentina and Mexico are accused of being “unfair and disrespectful”

Argentina is not the only team accused of delaying tactics.

During Mexico’s opening match of the tournament at NRG Stadium, Jamaica’s players returned to the field after their usual 15-minute halftime break. Head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson emerged from the locker room to find his Mexican counterparts missing.

The Jamaican players waited on the field for several minutes and Mexico coach Jaime Lozano later admitted that he and his team were reviewing the tactics and moves from the first half and needed to “correct” them.

This long half-time break was the second such delay in three nights at the 2024 Copa America.

On opening night, Canada coach Jesse Marsch also voiced his frustration, even suggesting that Argentina should be “punished” for spending several extra minutes in the dressing room. Hallgrimsson didn’t go that far, but still called it “disrespectful.”

“Halftime is only 15 minutes,” Hallgrimsson continued. “And if they can take longer, we should at least be given the same chance to stay longer. This is just unfair and disrespectful.”

Marsch expressed similar sentiments, saying: “As they waited, I knew they were watching videos and analyzing how they wanted to play against us,” referring to Argentina.

At halftime, both matches were still 0-0. Both teams, who unilaterally played extra time in the dressing room, ultimately won – Argentina with a 2-0 victory over Canada and Mexico with a 1-0 victory over Jamaica.

Chile has also come under criticism for a similar reason: Gareca was penalized for bringing on a player too late at half-time against Argentina.

The delays raise questions about how to prevent teams from gaining an unfair advantage. FIFA rules clearly state that half-time is 15 minutes. CONMEBOL’s rules for the 2024 Copa America stress that “teams must strictly adhere to the timetable established for the start of play.”

What happened to Lionel Scaloni and Ricardo Gareca?

CONMEBOL appears to be keeping its word.

Following this outcry, they made an example of Argentina and Chile and banned coaches Lionel Scaloni and Ricardo Gareca from standing on the sidelines at the Group A finals against Peru and Canada on Friday.

Instead, Argentine assistant coach Walter Samuel will take charge of the Argentine team at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday.

He told reporters: “Lionel is upset about it. We consider ourselves a staff with a lot of professionalism. We found out today. It was a blow. Sometimes you talk about a small detail. We didn’t try to gain an advantage. Now we have to focus on the next game and look forward.”

What are the half-time rules at the Copa America?

During the Mexico-Jamaica match, referee Ismail Elfath blew his whistle several times and waved the Mexican players back onto the field. Both the referee and the Jamaican players pointed to their wrists and made the universal gesture “You’re too late.”

Neither the Mexican players nor the coaches were penalized during the game.

However, according to CONMEBOL rules, “any delay in the start or resumption of a match due to the late arrival of one or more teams shall be subject to the sanctions provided for in the CONMEBOL Disciplinary Code and in Chapter 16 of these Regulations.”

This means that the case can be referred to a disciplinary unit, an investigation can be launched and a penalty, such as a fine – or in this case, suspension – can be imposed.

Before the announcement of the bans for Scaloni and Gareca, Marsch had clearly expressed his opinion on the matter

“I wish the referees had got that right… (Argentina) would have had the time to prepare for how they wanted to play against us in the second half. If we had known beforehand that we had 10 extra minutes, we could have prepared better for some things.”

Marsch added: “If we were five minutes late, we would get a fine. That would be a big problem. Let’s see what happens with Argentina. I think they have to get a fine.”

Asked about the halftime delay and Hallgrímsson’s comments, Lozano said: “I don’t know if it’s unfair. But we went through four or five plays and I took too long. Yes, it’s my responsibility. Normally we have to correct some actions and plays on the screen or see what we’re doing right. And I probably went a bit overboard there.”