Organizer Cancels Nigeria Vs Argentina Friendly Over Messi Drama

As a result of the backlash that trailed Lionel Messi’s failure to appear for his club Inter Miami in Hong Kong, the proposed friendly match between the Super Eagles of Nigeria and Argentina would no longer take place.

The non-appearance of Messi during an exhibition match between Inter Miami and a Hong Kong XI last week has left thousands of fans disappointed and angry.

Argentina was scheduled to play Nigeria in the Chinese city of Hangzhou in March before facing Cote d’Ivoire in Beijing, but Messi’s failure to play for Inter Miami in Hong Kong on Sunday caused widespread anger among fans.

The fan fury had led the organisers of the Hong Kong match to promise to give a 50% refund for tickets after the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner did not take the field during their 4-1 win against Hong Kong All-Stars due to injury, but played in Japan days later.

Hangzhou sports authorities have now also announced that the friendly will no longer take place.

In a statement, Hangzhou authorities said: “As a commercial event, a company and the Argentinian soccer team negotiated that the team would play a friendly match in March this year in the city of Hangzhou.

Givenf 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.”