Lionel Messi's popularity in China is suffering quite a deflation. On Friday 9 and Saturday 10 February, the country announced that it would not be hosting two friendly matches for the Argentinian national team, following the controversy surrounding the player's tour of Asia with his club, Inter Miami.
The world champions had announced a tour of China from 18 to 26 March, during which they would face Nigeria in the big city of Hangzhou and Côte d'Ivoire in Beijing.
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"A company was in talks with the Argentinian team about coming to Hangzhou in March to play a friendly match.said the Hangzhou Sports Bureau in a statement on Friday evening. For reasons that are well known to everyone, according to the competent authorities, the conditions for the event not to take place have been met and it has been decided to cancel it".
Lionel Messi and his American club drew the ire of fans when the Argentinian remained on the bench during a friendly match against a local team in Hong Kong on Sunday, citing an injury. The spectators, who had paid up to 4,800 Hong Kong dollars (570 euros), expressed their displeasure at the player's absence, and also at his attitude, as he did not address the audience to apologise. The Argentine and David Beckham, co-owner of Inter Miami, were booed in the Hong Kong stadium.
"The Chinese don't lie down".
The controversy flared up again on Wednesday when Lionel Messi played thirty minutes of a friendly match in Japan, where several photos show him all smiles, whereas he appeared to have a closed face in Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous Chinese territory.
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"Many football fans and Internet friends have recently asked us for information about Lionel Messi's match in Beijing".The Beijing Football Association, the body that oversees football in the Chinese capital, said on Saturday. "After verification [by our services], For the time being, Beijing has no plans to organise the match in which Lionel Messi was due to take part".she stressed in a press release.
On the Chinese social network Weibo, the vast majority of Internet users seemed to support the cancellation, despite the immense popularity enjoyed by Messi in China up until then.
"If he doesn't respect his Chinese fans, we can't let him take a penny from the Chinese".reacted one user, in tune with the general tone of the messages. "We gave him our love and he treats us like that. That slap [cancellation] is deserved".wrote another. "A courageous decision, "The Chinese don't lie down". and "Fuck off Messi!" were among the most frequently published comments.
The company that organised the event in Hong Kong, Tatler Asia, promised ticket buyers a refund of 50 %. "Injuries are part of the game and we understand that. However, we were saddened by the fact that the players didn't show enough respect to the supporters present".the company stressed.
A lucrative market for the Argentinian federation
The likely cancellation of the tour of China is a headache for the Argentine Football Association (AFA), which regards the Asian giant as a strategic market. In June 2023, Argentina already played a friendly match in Beijing during a visit that led to lucrative contracts with local companies. The AFA has sponsorship and cooperation contracts with coffee chain Cotti Coffee and Chinese dairy products leader Yili, among others.
"We are fully aware of the importance, uniqueness and enormous growth potential of the AFA in the Chinese market.said Leandro Petersen, the AFA's Sales and Marketing Director, recently.
The Chinese newspaper Global Times, known for its nationalist stance, implied in an editorial this week that the behaviour of Inter Miami and Messi could perhaps have implications for the country. "political motivations. The Hong Kong authorities have regularly been in the crosshairs of the United States and the United Kingdom since the introduction of a national security law in the semi-autonomous territory, which has helped to muzzle political opposition.
Text by Le Monde with AFP
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