Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund had planned to do a pre-season tour in China but because of Lionel Messi’s absence in February, public and politicians in the country viewed the Argentine’s absence as an affront.
As reported via Kicker, Inter Miami visited Hong Kong earlier in the year, but Messi didn’t play, but featured in Tokyo just a few days later. As a result, the Chinese Football Association also cancelled a friendly match involving Argentina, which was scheduled for March, which has since had a knock-on effect for European clubs.
Both Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have offices in Shanghai, and wanted to go on a promotional tour around China but per the report, enquiries by the DFL via the German ambassador in China went unanswered. But it’s not just Bundesliga clubs that has this problem. Per Kicker, several club’s from Europe’s top five leagues also received no response from GAS (General Administration of Sports), in which event agencies use to obtain permission.
Paris Saint-Germain and AS Monaco were supposed to play the Supercup in China, but this has also been cancelled.
