Confusion hits Inter Miami's China tour after canceled friendly

Inter Miami’s upcoming tour of China has hit multiple snags just days before the squad is set to travel. The Major League Soccer side previously announced that they would play two friendlies in the Asian nation in November. Nevertheless, one of venues for the matchups has been changed, while the other is cancelled.

Miami is still scheduled to face Qingdao Hainiu on Sunday, November 5th. The matchup, however, will take place at a different stadium than originally planned. Qingdao was previously planning to host Miami at the Qingdao Youth Football Stadium. Nevertheless, the two teams will now play at the smaller Wuyuan River Stadium in Hainan.

Qingdao still has a pair of Chinese Super League fixtures remaining on their schedule before facing Miami. The club next hosts Dalian Pro before finishing their campaign against Cangzhou Mighty Lions one day prior to the friendly. Qingdao currently sits 13th in the Chinese top flight table, seven points from safety.

Second China tour match canceled for ‘various reasons’

While a late change of venue is not necessarily a massive issue, news came on Friday that the second match of the China tour was off. Inter Miami were preparing to face Chengdu Rongcheng on Wednesday, November 8th. However, this game will now not take place at all.

Miami has yet to publicly confirm the cancelation, but tour organizers have reportedly verified the decision. Although they would not go into full details, the organizers cited “various reasons” for scrapping the game. “We are sorry that the second leg of Inter Miami Football Club’s trip to China will not be held in Chengdu due to various reasons. We ask for your understanding,” organizers told the South China Morning Post.

Chengdu Rongcheng also has two Chinese Super League fixtures remaining in their 2023 season as well. The Sichuan side is sixth in the league standings and currently fighting for a spot in the AFC Champions League group stage. They are currently four points behind the final automatic qualification place in the competition.

Ticketing issues also causing headache for fans

In addition to scheduling changes, Miami’s mini tour of China is also experiencing ticketing issues as well. Miami had previously announced that tickets for the games would go on sale on Thursday, October 26 at 4AM (ET) on the Chinese event platform Damai. However, the company claimed that this wasn’t exactly the case. Damai are a new club as of August.

“We have not received the ticket issue notice for the Miami China trip schedule on October 26,” Damai said in an official statement. “Please refer to the domestic official channels of the event for release.”

Miami has yet to address the canceled friendly fixture. It also remains to be seen if the American club will attempt to schedule another match or just play the single game in Hainan.

Chinese soccer fans are hoping to watch Miami superstar Lionel Messi play during the tour. His home nation of Argentina, however, will face two tough World Cup qualifying games in the month of November as well. The reigning world champions will host Uruguay on November 16th before traveling to Brazil four days later. The significant matchups may hinder Messi’s playing time in China.

Photo credit: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire : IMAGO / Agencia-MexSport