In a recent turn of events, Chinese sports officials have made the decision to call off the upcoming friendly football match between Argentina and Nigeria. This decision comes in the wake of significant backlash stemming from Lionel Messi’s absence during an Inter Miami game in Hong Kong.
Despite being scheduled to play in Hangzhou, followed by a game against Ivory Coast in Beijing, the fallout from Messi not participating in the Hong Kong match has led to the cancellation of the first fixture.
The situation escalated when Messi, who had been expected to play, remained sidelined due to an injury during the Hong Kong event, much to the dismay of fans—some of whom had paid substantial amounts for tickets.
In response to the uproar, the organizers offered a 50% refund to ticket holders. However, the situation was exacerbated when Messi appeared on the field in a subsequent match in Japan, which intensified the backlash.
Messi played a cameo against Vissel Kobe in a 0-0 draw and didn’t take part in the penalty shootout.
As a result, Hangzhou’s sports authorities announced that the friendly match with Nigeria would not proceed as planned.
“As a commercial event, a company and the Argentinean soccer team negotiated that the team would play a friendly match in March this year in the city of Hangzhou,” the Hangzhou authorities said in a statement.
“In view of the current well-known reasons, according to the competent authorities, conditions to hold the friendly match are not mature, therefore (we) have decided to cancel it.”
There has been no confirmation regarding the status of the subsequent match against Ivory Coast in Beijing. Requests for comments from both the Chinese FA and the Argentine FA have gone unanswered.
Tatler Asia, involved in the organization of the Hong Kong match, expressed its regret over the incident on Instagram, apologizing to fans for the disappointment caused by Messi’s benching during the game. The company conveyed its heartbreak over the unfulfilled expectations of fans who were eager to see the football star in action.
“When we learned that Messi would not be playing, we pleaded with Inter Miami CF ownership and management to urge him to stand up, engage with the spectators and explain why he couldn’t play,” Tatler said.
“He didn’t. The fact that Messi and (team mate Luis) Suarez played in Japan on Feb. 7 feels like another slap in the face.”
