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Lionel Messi of Argentina reacts during the international friendly match between Argentina and Australia at Workers Stadium in Beijing on June 15, 2023. Lintao Zhang/Getty Images
On June 15, the Argentine men’s football team and the Australian men’s football team played a friendly match in Beijing, China. The result of the game was 2–0, with Argentina winning without a doubt under the leadership of soccer star Lionel Messi. However, there were several very unusual aspects that made people wonder what was going on.
Some commentators believe that it was more of a political show than a sports event.
Involvement of Multiple Government Departments of CCP
Before the start of the game, the organizer read out a long “thank you” list, thanking the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Public Security, the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, the National Immigration Administration, the Civil Aviation Administration of China, the Beijing Municipal Government, the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, the Chinese Embassy in Argentina, and the Chinese Embassy in Australia, and the Chinese Football Association. The organizer also thanked the Argentine Embassy in China and the Australian Embassy in China.
