Argentina and Brazil to play at the MCG in 2017: Reports

Would definitely take my son to this game. He is a huge Messi fan! A wonderful experience!!

They have the Queen's Birthday game the next day, so it will require a quick turnaround but is manageable. Letting Brazil or Argentina play over an AFL game is a no brainer. I guarantee the Brazil-Argentina game gets a bigger attendance than the Socceroos game.

Not really. the Victorian Government isnt going to make the AFL shift a game from the MCG. They've simply removed the right the AFL had before 2005 to veto other events during the AFL season. (this was negotiated away as part of the deal to allow preliminary finals to be taken interstate. Theres no coincidence these things are held during the AFLs bye rounds in early to mid june. Worth noting that the AFL has no fixtures at the MCG on othjer the 9th or the 11th of June.

That was one of the superclasico de las Americas matches. In the first 2 tournaments, the rules were that players had to be playing in either Argentina or Brazil. Both teams had very strong squads. I'm a Velez fan and we were winning then (4 titles in 10 attempts in that period) and many of the players were with Velez then, and some say some of those players should have played more internationals.

22 November 2012 Argentina vs Brazil (friendly) Argentina Starting XI A. Orión S. Domínguez L. Desábato L. Vangioni L. López G. Peruzzi P. Guiñazú W. Montillo F. Cerro H. Barcos J. Martínez

Hubris why don't you pull up truth bomb for basically running the same argument with we will have more people watching it on TV.

It's being reported Brazil vs Argentina Friday, 9 June 2017 Venue: MCG Brazil/Argentina vs Australia Sunday, 11 June 2017 (Monday is a Public Holiday) Venue MCG If this is true, it means the Victorian Government, who own the MCG, will kick the AFL off for a football practice match. Fair enough. Global game takes precedence, even if it's just a practice match.

If you can show me a match between these two teams (friendly or not) where either one of the teams have put a severely sub-strength team on the pitrch (not through injury), then I will beleive you. I haven't gone back and looked over any old matches, but i reckon it's safe to say that they are putting close to their best team on the park for any match against each other.

Totally disagree, MarkFromCroydon. From my observations, the football world doesn't care about friendlies. Of course, once players are on the park, even if it's an intra-club training match, their competitive juices flow and no one likes to lose. But, you're kidding if you think anyone in Brasil or Argentina will care about a friendly match. Brazil could play Germany every week for the next 4 years and beat Germany 10-0 every match. It's meaningless. No friendly results will ever erase the humiliation of Brazil's loss to Germany in a crunch match at WC 2014.

"You would also know that every single time these two national teams play against each other, whether it is in the world cup, the copa america, a qualifying tournament or any other tournament or even in a friendly where there is no trophy on the line, the match is still considered a major event in both countries, and by both teams. Every time, the teams will play with passion and commitment and it will mean something to their national pride. That is a fact." With friendlies, it is absolutely not a fact. The players and fans of those countries have seen them play in enough money spinning international friendlies now that they know exactly what these matches are about and could hardly care less about the result...the fans especially couldn't care less if, as is likely, only second strong teams line up for it. Anyone who thinks full strength sides, including both Neymar and Messi, will line up for this match and the teams will go at it at 100% while millions of Brazilians and Argentinians sit on the edges of their couches at home screaming their team on is absolutely delusional.

Astounded at the complete lack of knowledge by the author and most of the posters in this article. It's as if half the people on here have not watched a game of football, and some of the the ones that have truly have their Eurosnobbery showing. If you know anything about Argentina and Brazil, you would know that Football is th most popular sport there. You would also know that every single time these two national teams play against each other, whether it is in the world cup, the copa america, a qualifying tournament or any other tournament or even in a friendly where there is no trophy on the line, the match is still considered a major event in both countries, and by both teams. Every time, the teams will play with passion and commitment and it will mean something to their national pride. That is a fact. Also astounded that people know so little of the history of one of the greatest national sports rivalries in the world, and how often they have met on neutral soil. I can remember the 1998 bicentennial gold cup here, Maradona's ball through to Caniggia at the 1990 world cup, the 2007 copa america final, Messi's hatrick in New Jersey, and there must be heaps more of matches on neutral soil but those are just the ones I remember.

"Seriously, what is there to talk about?" Then why are you commenting on the article?

Casper - Ill try and explain in simple English. The two club teams playing in the game I mention came from Germany (Brazil????) and Spain (Argentine???) . They came together in a city Glasgow (Melbourne) some 1500 kilometres away from their "home" fans.(remember no cheap air fares in those days). I should have mentioned it was held on a Wednesday afternoon (a working day) Result 127,000 people paid good money to attend and for their trouble got a game that people still talk about some 57 years later (see punters comment) Hope you "get my point" relative to the game being discussed in this article. If you don't well?????? Cheers jb. Nemesis - Your slip is showing again.For one who is always expounding business principles in their opinion discussions I think you need to Google again the 99,000 football people blasting force with their football anthem, when Liverpool came to play Victory ,just a few years ago. That sight would surely trigger forward thinking thoughts in the minds of sporting impresarios not only in Melbourne,but in any major city with a history for presenting such "events". Cheers jb.

Casper - Ill try and explain in simple English. The two club teams playing in the game I mention came from Germany (Brazil????) and Spain (Argentine???) . They came together in a city Glasgow (Melbourne) some 1500 kilometres away from their "home" fans.(remember no cheap air fares in those days). I should have mentioned it was held on a Wednesday afternoon (a working day) Result 127,000 people paid good money to attend and for their trouble got a game that people still talk about some 57 years later (see punters comment) Hope you "get my point" relative to the game being discussed in this article. If you don't well?????? Cheers jb.

There's no need to be nasty, Mr Football ...

Neither team will roll over and let their South American rival get one over them.

It's a Big Event that the Victorian Government wants to use to promote Victoria and Melbourne. No different to any cultural event the Government bank rolls. Just happens that this event involves 2 football teams playing a practice match.

Your comment above contradicts this; "It’s hard enough watching soccer at the best of times"

JB, that was one of the greatest days of football. Casper, JB is pointing out how 127K turned out in Glasgow to watch 2 foreign teams battle out one of the spic European cup final of all time. In Pukas & di Stefano, you had the yesterday Neymar & Messi.

I really cannot see any point for these teams to play in Australia unless they are playing an Australian team.