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A city in mainland China has canceled its plan to host a soccer match featuring Argentina’s national team amid a growing backlash in the country against star player Lionel Messi, CNN reports.

Messi has faced an outpouring of criticism after he remained on the bench during an exhibition game featuring his Major League Soccer team Inter Miami in Hong Kong.

A sellout crowd of 40,000 had attended the match in Hong Kong – many of them hoping to see the man widely seen as the world’s best footballer, but the occasion ended acrimoniously when fans booed, jeered and demanded refunds as he failed to take to the pitch.

Messi has since said he wanted to play but was kept off the field due to an injury. But that hasn’t stopped a torrent of criticism heading his way on the Chinese internet.

The latest sign of Chinese displeasure with Messi came on Friday, when the Hangzhou Sports Bureau said that it would no longer host a friendly match between Argentina and Nigeria that was slated to be held at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center.

Without referring to the saga almost a week ago, Hangzhou Sports Bureau said in a post on WeChat the game had been cancelled “in view of the reason everyone knows.”

“The conditions for holding the event are immature and it has been decided that the event should be cancelled,” it added.

The game in Hangzhou was one of two the Argentina team were slated to play in China in March.

It is also scheduled to take on Ivory Coast at the Beijing Workers’ Sport Complex.