According to El Clarin, Argentinean newspaper, August 13, 2008
Argentina coach Sergio "Checho" Batista decided to protect Messi and chose not to let him play in Argentina v. Serbia. Local fans were disgusted that they left 5 minutes before.
In the post-match press conference, Argentina coach Sergio "Checho" Batista said,
"If the people of China got mad, I apologize. Bad luck. But I thought what was best for the team. We came here to win the gold medal. That's our objective. Not only did Messi not play, but neither did Riquelme, Agüero or Garay."
About Holland 
as opponent
"Very good, to go win the game. They have great players."
- Your thoughts on Argentina v. Serbia? The players in this lineup?