A scheduled match between Argentina and Nigeria has been called off amidst mounting criticism directed at Lionel Messi for his absence in an Inter Miami game in Hong Kong last week.
The organizers of Inter Miami’s exhibition match against a Hong Kong XI on Sunday, where Messi was expected but sidelined due to a groin injury, announced they would provide a 50% refund after facing backlash from fans and the Hong Kong government.
This refund decision will incur a cost of $56 million Hong Kong Dollars (£5.7 million) for magazine and lifestyle brand Tatler Asia.
Messi’s absence triggered anger in Hong Kong, with fans expressing their disapproval by booing the 36-year-old and Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham.
On Wednesday Messi said in a Weibo post that the situation was “regrettable” and he hoped to return to Hong Kong. “Friends who know me will know that I want to give my best in every game,” he wrote.
However, the frustration quickly extended to mainland China, where state media and Hong Kong lawmakers implied that the incident might have been a politically charged deliberate insult.
The situation has now escalated further, with Chinese sports authorities calling off next month’s planned friendly match in Hangzhou between Argentina and Nigeria in response to the increasing criticism.
“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.”
It remains uncertain whether Argentina’s other scheduled friendly against Ivory Coast in Beijing will also face cancellation.
In the meantime, Tatler Asia issued a statement on Instagram expressing profound apologies and deep regret for disappointing fans after Messi remained on the bench during Sunday’s match.
