The planned friendlies in China involving the Argentina national team have been canceled by local authorities. This decision came after Lionel Messi did not play in an Inter Miami match in Hong Kong last weekend, sparking widespread anger among fans. The Beijing Football Association stated that they would not organize Argentina’s scheduled friendly against the Ivory Coast in March, following Hangzhou’s cancellation of a match against Nigeria. Messi, who reportedly missed the Hong Kong match due to injury, later appeared as a substitute in a subsequent Inter Miami friendly in Tokyo. The cancellation led to a 50% ticket refund announced by the organizers of the Hong Kong friendly, Tatler Asia, following criticism from the Hong Kong government. Inter Miami’s preseason tour, where they’ve only won one of six games, has spanned multiple countries and will conclude with a match against Newell’s Old Boys, Messi’s childhood club, in Florida on Feb. 16.
