(CNN) — A mainland Chinese city has canceled its plan to host an Argentina national team soccer match amid growing backlash in the country against its star player, Lionel Messi.
Messi has faced an avalanche of criticism after being left on the bench during an exhibition match for his Major League Soccer team, Inter Miami, in Hong Kong.
A sell-out crowd of 40,000 had attended the match in Hong Kong, many hoping to see the man considered the best footballer in the world, but the event ended badly when fans booed him and demanded refunds when Messi He didn’t jump onto the field.
Messi has since stated that he wanted to play, but was unable to do so due to injury. But that has not stopped a torrent of criticism against him from being unleashed on the Chinese Internet.
The latest sign of Chinese discontent with Messi came on Friday, when the Hangzhou Sports Bureau said it would no longer organize a friendly match between Argentina and Nigeria that was scheduled to be held at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center.
Without referring to the saga of almost a week ago, the Hangzhou Sports Bureau said in a WeChat post that the match had been canceled “in view of the reason known to everyone.”
“The conditions for holding the event have not matured and it has been decided to cancel it,” he added.
The Hangzhou match was one of two that the Argentine team planned to play in China in March.
They are also scheduled to face Ivory Coast at the Beijing Workers’ Sports Complex.
A public relations nightmare
Messi was left on the substitutes’ bench when Inter Miami played the Hong Kong team on February 4, despite repeated requests from the Hong Kong government and the organizer, Tatler Asia, for him to take the field.
His coach later stated that Messi was injured and that the medical team had advised him at the last moment not to play. Messi later said that he had been a “disgrace” and that he had wanted to participate.
His subsequent 30-minute appearance in a friendly match days later against Vissel Kobe in Japan only further angered Chinese fans, with many – including pro-Beijing politicians in Hong Kong – comparing it to an insult to China.
Messi faces a public relations nightmare in one of the most lucrative sports markets in the world, where until now he enjoyed great popularity.
On Friday, Hong Kong match organizer Tatler XFEST announced it would refund 50% of ticket prices to fans, a move it said would cost the company $7.1 million and leave it with losses of almost 5.5 million.
“Our aspiration was to create an iconic moment in support of the government’s efforts to remind the world how relevant and exciting Hong Kong is. That dream has been shattered for us and for all those who bought tickets to see Messi on the field” said the company, which publishes Tatler-branded magazines throughout Asia.
2024-02-10 06:52:00
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