Lionel Messi’s absence in the friendly match in Hong Kong has sparked outrage among the people and the government of China. The World Cup winner was booed off by the fans as he did not play even a single minute.
The fans were excited to watch one of the best players of the generation play football live but were extremely disappointed when he did not enter the field for the whole match. To add salt to the wound, another friendly match in China that was supposed to feature Messi has now been canceled.
Argentina’s friendly match in China canceled amid Lionel Messi backlash
China has canceled its plan to host Argentina’s football matches during the international break in March against Nigeria in Hangzhou and Ivory Coast in Bejing. The main reason for the cancellation is said to be the absence of Messi in the Inter Miami vs. Hong Kong match, which has angered the people of China.
On Friday, the sports bureau in Hangzhou cancelled the Argentina – Nigeria friendly.
“Because of the reasons known to all, we’ve learned from supervising authorities that the conditions are immature for the match to go forward. Now it’s been decided that the match will be cancelled,” as announced by the Hangzhou Sports Bureau on its social media account.
It’s pretty much obvious that the Chinese government is not happy with Lionel Messi’s decision not to play in the friendly match in Hong Kong.
Lionel Messi’s Hong Kong absence damaged Inter Miami brand
Lionel Messi’s absence in the friendly match has greatly damaged his image in China. On Friday, Hong Kong Match organizer Tatler XFEST announced that it would refund 50% of the ticket prices for fans, which would cost the company $7.1 million and leave it facing about $5.5 million in losses.
Days later, Messi played 30 minutes of a friendly match in Japan against Vissel Kobe, which acted as fuel for the ongoing fire as the Chinese fans were angered and many pro-Beijing politicians in Hong Kong felt it was an insult to China.
Messi has damaged his image in one of the world’s biggest sports markets. His widespread popularity in China has turned into hate.
“Our aspiration was to create an iconic moment in support of the government’s efforts to remind the world how relevant and exciting Hong Kong is. That dream is broken today for us and all those who bought tickets to see Messi on the pitch,” said the company that publishes Tatler-branded magazines across Asia.
What do you think about Inter Miami’s decision to not play Messi? Let us know in the comments section.
