Beijing cancels Argentina friendly as Messi fallout continues
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| Beijing cancels Argentina friendly as Messi fallout continues |
- Feb 10 - Argentina's friendly against Ivory Coast, scheduled to be held in Beijing in March, has been cancelled, the Chinese city's football association said on Saturday, following a backlash against Lionel Messi's failure to play in a match in Hong Kong.
- Beijing's announcement came a day after Hangzhou's sports authorities also cancelled a friendly between Argentina and Nigeria after Messi's failure to play for Inter Miami in Hong Kong on Sunday caused widespread anger among fans.
- "Beijing does not plan, for the moment, to organise the match in which Lionel Messi was to participate," the Beijing Football Association said in a statement to local media.
- Messi, who did not play in the friendly in Hong Kong due to a reported injury, appeared as a second-half substitute on Wednesday in Inter Miami's friendly against Vissel Kobe in Tokyo.
- Organisers of the Hong Kong friendly, Tatler Asia, announced a 50% refund on tickets, which cost up to nearly HK$ 5000 ($639), following criticism from the Hong Kong government.
- ($1 = 7.8197 Hong Kong dollars)
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