The upcoming friendly football match between Argentina and Nigeria has been cancelled by Chinese sports officials following the controversy surrounding Lionel Messi’s absence during an Inter Miami game in Hong Kong.
Initially scheduled to play in Hangzhou, the fallout from Messi’s non-participation in the Hong Kong match led to the cancellation of the first fixture, despite plans for a subsequent game against Ivory Coast in Beijing.
The situation escalated when Messi, expected to play in Hong Kong, remained sidelined due to injury, disappointing fans who had purchased tickets. Despite organizers offering a 50% refund to ticket holders, the backlash intensified when Messi appeared in a subsequent match in Japan but didn’t participate in the penalty shootout against Vissel Kobe.
Consequently, Hangzhou’s sports authorities announced the cancellation of the friendly match with Nigeria, citing immature conditions for holding the event due to “well-known reasons.”
“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.”
While the status of the subsequent match against Ivory Coast in Beijing remains uncertain, there has been no response to requests for comments from both the Chinese FA and the Argentine FA.
Tatler Asia, involved in organizing the Hong Kong match, expressed regret on Instagram, apologizing to fans for Messi’s benching and the disappointment it caused.
The company conveyed its heartbreak over unfulfilled expectations of fans eager to see Messi in action, expressing disappointment that Messi and teammate Luis Suarez played in Japan despite the Hong Kong incident.
