Inter Miami trip to China canceled due to death of former Chinese Premier Li Kequiang
Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates will not be traveling to China, after all.
The highly publicized tour, which was scheduled to begin on Thursday and include two friendly matches, was canceled at the last minute. The reason given by the promoter, Never Say Never (NSN) was that the games were canceled “due to the death of former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, the country’s No. 2 for the past decade.”
The NSN release added: “Last Friday, October 27, former Chinese Premier Li Kequiang, one of the main leaders in Chinese politics and a reformist figure admired throughout the country, passed away suddenly in Shanghai. As a mark of respect for the news that has shocked Chinese society, the tour organizers decided to suspend the two matches that the team was to play in China.”
Inter Miami and NSN could not agree on new dates. The club will continue to explore opportunities for overseas friendly matches during the offseason.
In the meantime, Messi rejoined the team at training Tuesday morning, less than 24 hours after receiving his eighth Ballon d’ Or trophy in Paris. He and the 18-karat gold trophy, which weighs 33 pounds, flew back on a private plane with Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas and others in the team delegation.
The team will train at its Fort Lauderdale facility through the middle of November and is then off for two months until MLS preseason camp opens in mid-January. Some players, including Messi, will report to national team duty in mid-November. Messi will head to Argentina, which plays a World Cup qualifier Nov. 16 against Uruguay in Buenos Aires and then faces Brazil Nov. 21 at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.