China’s top sports officials in China canceled two friendlies against world champions Argentina after their star star Lionel Messi did not feature in an exhibition match with his club Inter Miami in Hong Kong.
The Argentine national football team is going on a tour of China between March 18 and 26, when they will play friendly matches against Nigeria in Hangzhou and Ivory Coast in Beijing.
“For now, Beijing does not intend to organize a match in which Lionel Messi is expected to participate,” said a press release today by the Beijing Football Association, which oversees soccer in the Chinese capital.
The match in Hangzhou was canceled already on Friday evening. “For reasons known to all, according to the relevant authorities, the conditions for holding the event have not been met,” the Hangzhou Sports Bureau said.
Messi and his American club Inter Miami angered spectators when the Ballon d’Or winner was left on the bench during a friendly against the local team in Hong Kong on Sunday. An injury was cited as the reason for not playing.
The ticket for the game in Hong Kong cost up to 450 euros. The fans were unhappy and demanded a refund, and team co-owner David Beckham was booed when he tried to thank the crowd for coming to the game.
Messi played half an hour in his team’s next warm-up game in Japan, sparking further anger in China and accusations that Messi was deliberately damaging China’s reputation and favoring Japan.
