Messi and Friends, we hardly knew ye.
“The Battle of the Stars” featuring “Messi and Friends vs. the Rest of the World,” which was a high-profile match that was scheduled to take place on July 3 has been canceled. Rumors of the game’s cancelation began on Tuesday, but a press release issued on Tuesday revealed that the event had been canceled.
"After hours of trying to convince Lionel Messi's management team to fulfill their contractual agreement and come to Los Angeles, it is clear they have no respect for these fans and this market,” El Padrino Spirits CEO Todd Graham said in a statement. “We feel that this is a blatant attempt to defraud American citizens and businesses that sponsored this event.”
You thought that was harsh, well, in the same statement, the Marketing Director of Adriana’s Insurance Ines Calderon promised some type of action against Messi’s representatives.
"We have no words to express our disappointment and frustration," Calderon stated. "As a brand we invested many hours of work and thousands of dollars but most importantly, we put our name next to the events name, and in front of our community. We regret sponsoring this event and hope that the authorities penalize whoever is responsible of this mess."
All looking for refunds are being asked to contact Ticketmaster.
Soccer By Ives has broken down the entire situation in this report even revealing that Messi had planned to arrive in Los Angeles three hours before the scheduled match time. SBI also noted that not only is the Los Angeles appearance canceled, but a July 6 match in Chicago is also in doubt. Like the L.A. event, SBI reports that players—like Michael Bradley and Carlos Bocanegra—have begun pulling out, leaving the match in jeopardy.
One important thing to remember in all this comedy? There are actual friendlies involving international soccer stars taking place in at an iconic Los Angeles venue later this month.
