Not surprisingly, the Argentinean Football Association (AFA) announced an Olympic squad that includes the Barcelona forward at the beginning of July.

Because the dates of the Olympic games clash with those of the Champion's League preliminary round, Barca are adamant that they will do everything in their power to keep their star player.

"We are right and we will fight for Messi to play the preliminary round because he has to be with us," said Begiristain.

"We have to play two games of official nature and so we have made that known to FIFA.

"We will continue insisting but we want to come to a solution that is agreed by all the parties."

But the club's chances of stopping Messi from participating in Beijing are slim - as the 21-year old has already said he wants to represent his country, and FIFA released a statement last week that said all players under 23 must be released for Olympic duty.

However, Barca president Joan Laporta has slammed the thinking behind the rule.

"Barca have Olympic spirit, but also that of the Champions League," he said. "We don't want to get into any argument with AFA president Julio Grondona.

"He has to understand Barca's interests, for which we also want understanding in what we are asking for.

"We hope the solution will be satisfactory."