'No-show in Hong Kong' Messi controversy... China cancels Argentina friendly match

by Lee Changhwan

Published 10 Feb.2024 10:35(KST)

Soccer star Lionel Messi, who plays as a forward for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer (MLS), is sitting on the bench during a friendly match against the Hong Kong Professional Football All-Star team held at Hong Kong Stadium on the 4th (local time). Many Hong Kong fans who came to see Messi's performance booed when he did not play.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The fallout from global soccer star Lionel Messi's no-show in Hong Kong continues.

According to foreign media on the 10th, Hangzhou City in China announced the cancellation of the friendly match between the Argentina and Nigeria national football teams, which was scheduled to be held next month.

The Hangzhou Sports Bureau stated on its official social media account, "For reasons well known to everyone, we have learned from the supervisory authorities that the conditions to proceed with the friendly match are immature," adding, "We have decided to cancel the match."

The "reasons well known to everyone" mentioned are interpreted as referring to the recent fallout from Messi's no-show in Hong Kong.

Messi did not participate in the friendly match between his club Inter Miami and the Hong Kong Professional Football All-Star team held in Hong Kong on the 4th, citing injury, which infuriated fans.

With ticket prices for the match reaching tens of thousands of won, about 40,000 fans who came to see Messi strongly demanded refunds. On the other hand, Messi fueled the anger of Hong Kong fans by playing for 30 minutes in a friendly match held in Japan three days later on the 7th.

The Argentina national football team, captained by Messi, planned a friendly match tour in China from the 18th to the 26th of next month. During this period, the Argentina team was scheduled to play against the Nigeria team in Hangzhou and against the Ivory Coast team in Beijing.