The Hangzhou Sports Committee has announced the cancellation of the planned friendly between Argentina and Nigeria, which was slated to take place in China.
Officials cited clear reasons indicating that the match would not meet the necessary requirements for participation by the Argentinian squad. In an official release, the organizers confirmed the decision to cancel the event for those reasons.
The statement referenced a recent incident involving Lionel Messi, the Inter Miami forward, who is 36 years old. Although Messi did not take part in a game in Hong Kong, his subsequent appearance in Japan within a few days stirred intense reaction among fans and drew widespread attention.
The Argentina-Nigeria clash had been scheduled for the latter half of March, as part of a broader China tour that would also have included a regional meeting with Ivory Coast. At this time, no additional information about that Ivory Coast fixture had been released.
Earlier, on February 4, Hong Kong’s top lineup hosted Inter Miami in a friendly that ended 1-4. Messi remained on the bench, and the crowd voiced their discontent, with some spectators calling for refunds. The match also featured a public moment of tension for Inter Miami owner David Beckham, who faced boos from the stands after the game.
Messi later addressed the situation, explaining his absence from the Hong Kong match and offering his perspective on the events that followed. The incident has since been a focal point of discussions about player availability, travel logistics, and audience expectations during international exchanges. — [Source: Hangzhou Sports Committee; Official statements; Event reports, attribution provided].