(Beijing) China said it would cancel for “reasons that everyone knows” a friendly match of the Argentina team, after the outcry caused by the absence and attitude of Lionel Messi during a meeting in Hong Kong.
“A company was in discussions with the Argentine football team so that the latter would come to Hangzhou in March to play a friendly match,” the Hangzhou Sports Bureau said in a press release on Friday evening.
“Given the reasons that everyone knows, according to the competent authorities, the conditions for the event to take place are not met and it has been decided to cancel it. »
The Argentine selection was due to face Nigeria in March in the large Chinese city of Hangzhou (east). But the controversy surrounding the world champion had become too strong in recent days.
Lionel Messi and his American club Inter Miami angered fans when he remained on the bench during a friendly match against a local team in Hong Kong on Sunday, citing injury.
The spectators, who had paid up to 4,800 Hong Kong dollars (570 euros), had expressed their dissatisfaction with the absence of the player, but especially his attitude, because he had not addressed the public to apologize.
The controversy further swelled when, on Wednesday, Lionel Messi played 30 minutes of a friendly match in Japan, where several photos show him all smiles, while he seemed to have a closed face in Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous Chinese territory.
On Chinese social network Weibo, the vast majority of netizens appeared to support the move targeting Messi, who has until now been immensely popular in China.
“If he doesn’t respect his Chinese fans, we can’t let him take a cent from the Chinese’s pockets,” reacted a user, in tune with the general tone of the messages.
“We gave him our love and he treats us like that. This slap (of the cancellation) is deserved,” wrote another.
“Courageous decision”, “the Chinese don’t fold” and “get out Messi!” » were among the most frequently posted comments.
The company that organized the meeting in Hong Kong, Tatler Asia, promised those who bought tickets a 50% refund.
Another friendly match for the Argentina team, scheduled for March in Beijing against Ivory Coast, has not yet been canceled.