Mainland China cancels Lionel Messi match after Hong Kong no-show fiasco

Chinese officials in Hangzhou have cancelled a friendly international involving Lionel Messi’s Argentina football team and Nigeria that was scheduled to take place in the city next month, with organisers saying conditions are not yet ideal for the friendly game.

The cancellation comes after Messi ignited widespread anger by sitting out a match in Hong Kong last Sunday citing a thigh injury and forcing the organiser Tatler Asia to offer refunds amid mounting public and official pressure. Fans were further left irate when the Argentinian took to the field just a few days later with his Inter Miami CF team in Japan.

The Hangzhou Sports Bureau said in a statement on Friday evening that the conditions for hosting the match were not mature given the “reasons that everyone knows”.

Argentina are also scheduled to play against the Ivory Coast in Beijing as part of the same trip. While Messi could have been involved, his Inter Miami side are scheduled to play a Major League Soccer match on March 23 against New York Red Bulls, and there was no guarantee he would make the trip.

Tatler Asia said fans would be given a 50 per cent refund on tickets for the game in Hong Kong. In a statement released after it reportedly met government officials in the morning, the media company said details of the refund would be released before mid-March but it would only apply to tickets bought through official channels.

The organiser also apologised to all the fans who were left disappointed by the episode, which it said it had hoped would “become the pride of Hong Kong”.

“We will not evade our responsibilities as an organiser, so Tatler Asia will provide a 50 per cent refund to the public who purchased match day tickets through official channels,” it said.