Argentina's upcoming friendly in China has been canceled by local authorities, the second Argentine match in China to be called off this week amid controversy over star Lionel Messi's absence from a Hong Kong match last Sunday. Beijing's football association announced Saturday it will not organize a friendly scheduled for March between Argentina and the Ivory Coast. Making matters worse, the coach of Inter Miami, Gerardo Martino, had said his 36-year-old star "likely" would play in Hong Kong. Hong Kong sports, culture and tourism secretary Kevin Yeung said the deal required Messi to play at least 45 minutes. Inter Miami will play a Feb. 15 preseason match against Newell's Old Boys, Messi's boyhood club in Argentina.

Source: The Standard February 10, 2024 18:44 UTC