Amid a public uproar in China over Argentine soccer great Lionel Messi¡¯s failure to play in a recent Hong Kong match, a major Chinese city has scrubbed a game scheduled for his national team.
The upcoming friendly with the Argentine squad has been canceled due to ¡°well-known reasons,¡± the sports authority in the eastern city of Hangzhou said in a statement posted on its social media account Friday. Argentina had been expected to play against Nigeria. ¡°The conditions for holding such an event¡± aren¡¯t right, according to relevant departments in charge, it added, without providing further details.
On Saturday, Argentina¡¯s friendly against Cote d¡¯Ivoire, scheduled to be held in Beijing in March, was also canceled, the Chinese city¡¯s soccer association said.
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