Both of Argentina‘s planned friendlies in China have been canceled by local authorities after Lionel Messi did not play in an Inter Miami match in Hong Kong last weekend.
Beijing’s soccer association said on Saturday that it would not organize Argentina’s scheduled friendly clash against the Ivory Coast in March. The news comes a day after Hangzhou’s sports authorities also canceled a friendly between Argentina and Nigeria.
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Messi’s failure to play in Hong Kong on Sunday caused widespread anger among fans, with China’s state-controlled Global Times saying the “impact of this incident has far exceeded the realm of sports.”
The Beijing Football Association said in a statement to local media: “Beijing does not plan, for the moment, to organise the match in which Lionel Messi was to participate.”
