Chinese football fans have branded Lionel Messi a “thief” and taunted him over the Falkland Islands.
The Argentine star angered his fans when he did not play during the Inter Miami match Hong Kong Advance this month.
Messi He was On the bench due to a thigh injury But fans spent huge amounts of money on expensive tickets in the hope of seeing great football.
Hong Kong authorities also criticized the non-attendance, and his appearance during a match in Japan days later angered Chinese fans further.
Outrage on social media in recent days has led some to raise the issue Falkland Islands – Above that Argentina It still claims sovereignty.
Under a Weibo post by the Argentine Embassy, one user is said to have posted: “The fact that the islands belong to Britain is beyond doubt. Messi is a thief. All his Ballon d'Or trophies have been stolen.”
Another said: “The Malvinas Islands are part of the UK.
“They were before, they are now, and of course, they will always be in the future. And your country has no capacity to restore them either.”
According to The Times, a third added: “I used to support the Argentine claim to the Malvinas Islands. Today, I officially announce that from now on, I will no longer accept that the Malvinas Islands belong to Argentina.”
Messi spent the entire match in Hong Kong watching from the bench. Photo: Reuters
Fans are offered a 50% refund. Photo: AP
Messi also posted on Weibo – the Chinese equivalent of X – in the wake of the PR disaster, saying it was unfortunate he could not attend and that he hoped to return to Hong Kong to play.
The fallout continued over the weekend when Argentina's two international friendlies, scheduled to be played next month in Hangzhou and Beijing, were cancelled.
The Hangzhou Sports Bureau said: “For reasons known to everyone, we learned from the supervising authorities that the conditions are not ripe for the match to continue.”
The Beijing Football Association said that it does not plan “at the present time to organize the match in which Lionel Messi will participate.”
Inter Miami's tour of Central and North America, Asia and Saudi Arabia did not go well.
The team has so far won only one of its six matches with the owner David Beckham was booed on the pitch In Hong Kong.
