The friendly match that the Argentina National Team planned to play in China in March was canceled due to the reactions in the country to star football player Lionel Messi. The program of the 2020 FIFA World Cup champion Argentina’s friendly match against Nigeria in Hangzhou, China, next month was shelved after the growing reactions when Messi did not play in the special match in Hong Kong last week.
Messi, who did not play in the special match against Inter Miami in Hong Kong, took the field for 30 minutes against Vissel Kobe in Tokyo, the capital of Japan, on Wednesday, which drew the reaction of Chinese football fans.
In the statement made by the Hangzhou Sports Office, it was stated that due to “known reasons”, suitable conditions were not created for the special match between Argentina and Nigeria to be played and the match was cancelled.
It was reported in the press that the Argentine Football Federation management was looking for an alternative city to play against Nigeria.
There has been no change yet in the planning of Ivory Coast’s special match against Argentina in the capital Beijing.
It was announced that football fans who bought tickets for the special match between Inter Miami and the Hong Kong regional team would be refunded half of the fee they paid.