VIDEO: Messi ‘detained’ at Beijing airport over passport issue
A videograb shows Lionel Messi surrounded by Chinese border police at the Beijing airport.
Argentine Lionel Messi arrived in the Chinese capital, Beijing, on Saturday, to join his country's national team camp, in preparation for the friendly match against Australia.
The social media users circulated a video clip of a number of police officers stopping the Argentine national team captain, who was holding his passport while talking to his colleagues.
Chinese media reported that Messi faced a situation upon his arrival, because he used his Spanish passport instead of the Argentine one, according to local media.
Lionel Messi's failure to carry his Argentine passport led to a state of confusion among airport security personnel, before the crisis was later resolved and he was granted an entry visa about 30 minutes after he was stopped.
The Argentina national team will face its Australian counterpart in a friendly match, on Thursday, June 15, before heading to face Indonesia at home on June 19, after which Lionel Messi will get a period of rest, before joining his new club, Inter Miami, next July.
