The Hangzhou Sporting authorities cancelled the friendly match between Argentina and Nigeria amidst Messi-no show friendly in Hong Kong. Edited photo from Facebook.
Chinese sporting authorities in Hangzhou have cancelled an international friendly match earlier scheduled next month in the city between Lionel Messi’s Argentina football team and Nigeria Super Eagles as the organisers cited that the conditions are not yet ideal for the friendly game.
The organizer initially said that Argentina was scheduled to play Nigeria in the Chinese city of Hangzhou next month before facing the Ivory Coast in Beijing.
"In view of the current well-known reasons, according to the competent authorities, conditions to hold the friendly match are not mature, therefore (we) have decided to cancel it", the Hangzhou Sports Bureau said in a statement on Friday evening.
The decision was followed after the growing backlash against Lionel Messi's failure to play in an Inter Miami friendly match in Hong Kong last Sunday when numerous fans and government officials were in good spirits to watch.
The failure of Messi to show the fans who had paid a lot for tickets and travel from distant places what they had highly anticipated, triggered widespread anger in Hong Kong and beyond.
Lionel Messi was on the bench throughout the Inter-Miami friendly game with the Hong Kong team. Photo: Bloomberg.
The event organizer and Inter Miami said Messi's failure to play on Sunday was due to a thigh injury. However, Messi took to the field just a few days later with his Inter Miami CF team in Japan friendly match.
Tatler Asian, a privately owned publishing and lifestyle company was forced to offer 50 per cent off tickets for the game in Hong Kong after pressure from the public and officials.
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 is 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.
由於梅西在香港的混亂，中國杭州取消了原定的阿根廷與奈及利亞的友誼賽
中國杭州體育主管部門取消了原定於下個月在杭州舉行的一場由梅西的阿根廷足球隊與尼日利亞超級鷹隊之間的國際友誼賽，因為主辦單位表示，友誼賽的條件尚不理想。
主辦單位最初表示，阿根廷計劃下個月在中國杭州對陣尼日利亞，然後在北京對陣科特迪瓦。
杭州市體育局週五晚間在聲明中表示，「鑑於目前眾所周知的原因，據主管部門透露，舉辦友誼賽的條件尚不成熟，因此決定取消本次友誼賽」。
這項決定是在梅西(Lionel Messi)上週日未能參加國際邁阿密在香港舉行的友誼賽時引起的強烈反對之後做出的，當時許多球迷和政府官員都興高采烈地觀看了比賽。
梅西未能向花費大量門票和遠道而來的球迷展示他們所期待的東西，引發了香港及其他地區的廣泛憤怒。
賽事組織者和國際邁阿密表示，梅西週日未能參加比賽是由於大腿受傷。 然而，幾天后，梅西就隨邁阿密國際隊參加了日本友誼賽。
在公眾和官員的壓力下，Tatler Asian 是一家私人出版和生活方式公司，被迫為香港比賽的門票提供 50% 的折扣。
作為同一行程的一部分，阿根廷隊還計劃在北京對陣科特迪瓦隊。 雖然梅西本可以參與其中，但他所在的邁阿密國際隊定於 3 月 23 日與紐約紅牛隊進行一場美國職業足球大聯盟比賽，並且不能保證他一定會成行。
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