11 February 2024, 02:00 AM IST Photo | AFP
Beijing: China has canceled Argentina’s matches due to the controversy over Lionel Messi not playing in Inter Miami’s friendly football match against Hong Kong XI. Argentina-Nigeria and Argentina-Ivory Coast matches scheduled to be held in Beijing during next month’s international break have been cancelled.
The Hong Kong XI-Inter Miami match was last Sunday. Messi was among the substitutes but did not play. Miami won the match 4-1. Messi later clarified that he did not play because of a muscle strain. However, Messi came on as a substitute against Japan’s Vissel Koba on Wednesday. This caused widespread protests in China. Those who came to watch the Hong Kong XI-Inter Miami match demanded a refund of the ticket price. The protesters claimed that they had come to watch Messi play. With this, the organizers had announced yesterday that half of the tickets would be refunded.
The friendly match was abandoned in a situation where football lovers in China are raising widespread protests against Messi. The Beijing Football Association has announced that there are no plans to organize a match in which Messi will participate.
2024-02-10 20:30:00
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