Inter Miami said their tour of China this month has been canceled due to “unforeseen circumstances.”
The team, which was eliminated from the Major League Soccer playoffs, announced last month that it would play friendlies against Qingdao Hainiu on November 5 and another Chinese Super League team, Chengdu Rongcheng, in Chengdu on November 8 , will deny.
Lionel Messi, who has just won his eighth Ballon d’Or, was a central figure in the club’s social media announcement.
But Inter Miami said on Wednesday: “Tour operator NSN has informed Inter Miami CF of the cancellation of its China tour due to unforeseen circumstances in China.”
“Inter Miami’s goal remains to expand its global reach by playing in front of incredible fans from around the world; The club will continue to explore future opportunities with NSN to achieve this goal.”
NSN expressed “regret” and said the cancellation was due to the recent death of former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.
The trip to China was supposed to be the first international tour for Inter Miami. Xavier Asensi, the club’s chief business officer, spoke of the desire to “share the passion while reaching new audiences.”
Messi got off to a bright start helping the club win the 2023 League Cup title, but missed several games in September and October as his club’s play-off push faltered. What was initially described as fatigue was later confirmed to be a muscle injury.
He returned to action with Argentina during the international break last month and won the record-breaking Ballon d’Or in Paris earlier this week.
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