Messi detained by Chinese police at Beijing airport over visa issue
The soccer icon entered the county with his Spanish passport, which requires its holders to obtain a Chinese visa
Soccer superstar Lionel Messi was detained by Chinese police on Sunday, at the Beijing airport, when he arrived for Argentina’s friendly match with Australia, according to media reports.
The Argentinian player apparently flew to China without a visa. Messi has both Argentinian and Spanish passports as he spent 17 seasons playing for Barcelona.
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The soccer icon, however, entered the county with his Spanish passport, which requires its holders to obtain a Chinese visa. According to media reports, Messi wasn’t aware of that as he had previously traveled to Taiwan, which Beijing considers its own territory, without needing a visa, and assumed the rules in China were similar.
Chinese policemen had to detain the world champion for nearly two hours to resolve the issue. The reports said that the language barrier made it difficult for Messi to communicate with Chinese border guards, but the situation was eventually resolved.
Messi was granted an expedited visa and will be able to join his team in the upcoming match against Australia, at the Workers' Stadium this Thursday. Hundreds of fans wearing replica shirts queued up for hours at the Beijing airport and the hotel, where Messi was due to stay, to greet him.