The organizers of Inter Miami’s match in Hong Kong had to take action to appease public opinion when Lionel Messi did not play.
Hong Kong spectators came to watch Inter Miami play on February 4 – Photo: GETTY
The controversial match took place on February 4, when Inter Miami went to Hong Kong to play against the Hong Kong XI team. It is worth mentioning that the brightest star Lionel Messi did not enter the field for any minute. The reason is said to be because the Argentine player was injured.
However, just 3 days later, in another friendly match in Japan, Messi played normally again. He came on as a substitute when Inter Miami met Vissel Kobe.
This made Hong Kong audiences angry. Many people criticize that Messi and Inter Miami despise Hong Kong fans, which is why this happened.
The story did not stop there, as the Hong Kong government also voiced strong opposition. The Hong Kong Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has officially spoken out, saying that fans are very disappointed that Messi cannot play in Hong Kong due to injury.
“However, three days later, Messi was able to play actively and freely in Japan… the Hong Kong government hopes that the organizers and teams can provide a reasonable explanation.”
Messi sat on the bench in a friendly match in Hong Kong – Photo: GETTY
Regina Ip, a Hong Kong official , wrote bluntly on social network X: “Hong Kong people hate Messi, Inter Miami and the people behind them. Messi is never allowed to return here.”
Faced with the wave of reactions, Messi had to speak up. He confirmed that it was true that he had an injury and was sorry for the incident. He also said that he hopes to have the opportunity to return to Hong Kong.
On February 10, the match organizers also had to take action to compensate the fans. Tatler Asia, a magazine and lifestyle brand and the unit that brought Inter Miami to Hong Kong, announced that it will refund 50% of ticket prices to fans.
The total amount that Tatler Asia had to spend to compensate the audience was up to 7.1 million USD.
