David Ramos – FIFA / FIFA via Getty Images
Lionel Messi will not play Argentina in China, here in the 2022 World Cup finals.
Football – When the field of play becomes a state affair. China has announced that it will not host the two friendly matches of the Argentina team, the world champions, which were scheduled to be held on its soil in the second half of March. In question, the Lionel Messi affair that sent Hong Kong and Ballon d’Or Chinese fans into an uproar.
To understand, you have to go back a few days. On Sunday 4 February, his club Inter Miami, of which David Beckham is the owner, played a friendly match in Hong Kong. But the Argentine world champion did not participate in the meeting, remaining on the bench, face closed without a word to the public.
Spectators who paid up to 570 euros for this friendly match officially expressed their displeasure at the absence of the injured player. Lionel Messi and David Beckham were booed in the stadium. The local authorities also went so far as to ensure that the financial deal sealed for the organization of the meeting provided for the presence of a former PSG player.
Controversy escalated in mid-week after Lionel Messi played 30 minutes of a friendly match in Japan, where several photos showed him smiling.
The Chinese press condemns political motivations
As a retaliatory measure, the Chinese authorities therefore canceled the expected matches against Hangzhou in Beijing and Nigeria in Ivory Coast. “For reasons known to everyone, according to the competent authorities, the conditions for holding the event are not met”Hangzhou Sports Bureau said on Friday. “After investigation, for the moment, Beijing is not hosting the match in which Lionel Messi was supposed to participate”This Saturday underlined the Beijing Football Association, the body that oversees football in the Chinese capital.
The Chinese newspaper Global Times, known for its nationalist positions, suggested in an editorial this week that Inter Miami and Messi’s behavior may have “Political Motivation”.
Hong Kong authorities have regularly been in the crosshairs of the United States and the United Kingdom since the implementation of national security laws in the semi-autonomous region that helped quell political opposition.
See also at The HuffPost:
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