Lionel Messi may miss Barcelona games for Dakar Rally - race manager

Barcelona manager Luis Enrique believes his side deserved all three points after their 1-1 draw against Roma in the UEFA Champions League.

Lionel Messi's involvement with the Dakar Rally launch in Argentina could see him miss two Barcelona games during the New Year, according to the race's general manager, though Messi's management team denied it
The 2016 edition of the rally is to take place in Argentina and Bolivia, with the official start of the race in Buenos Aires on Jan. 2. The rally, formerly known as the Paris-Dakar, has been held in South America since 2009 for security reasons.
With the race traversing Messi's home city of Rosario, its general manager Etienne Lavigne said that the Argentina captain will be present at the official start -- which would mean a clash with two La Liga fixtures scheduled for around that time.

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"On Jan. 2 we are leaving from Buenos Aires to make the first camp in Rosario with Messi being present," Lavigne is quoted as saying in AS. "I spoke with him last night and he promised to be with us to greet the caravan. It is a pleasure to know that Messi likes things such as the Dakar."
However, Messi's management company sent a statement to Efe, saying that they do not know who Lavigne is.
"The player has never spoken or committed himself to this person or anyone else from the organisers about participating in the event," the statement said. "We ask the Dakar general manager to publicly amend the inaccuracies that were not in keeping with reality and have created a level of expectation that will never be satisfied because of what has already been mentioned."
Barca are at home to Real Betis in a fixture which was controversially rescheduled late in the summer and is now set for either Dec. 30 or 31. The Catalan capital derby, with Luis Enrique's side at Espanyol, is to be played on either Jan. 2 or 3.
Messi spent last Christmas at home in Rosario, arriving back in Barcelona shortly before their first game of 2015 at Real Sociedad. Luis Enrique's decision not to start the forward in that match contributed to a much-publicised clash between the pair.