Lionel Messi’s absence from Inter Miami match in Hong Kong causes uproar and request for refund

(CNN) — Thousands of football fans in Hong Kong were disappointed when Argentine superstar Lionel Messi did not take the field in the Inter Miami friendly match on Sunday.

What started with loud applause and cheers at the 40,000-capacity Hong Kong Stadium ended with boos and requests for refunds.

Inter Miami, looking to prove their worth after not winning on their pre-season world tour, easily defeated a Hong Kong eleven 4–1 in a match dubbed Tatler Xfest Hong Kong.

But in the run-up and even during the match, the fans had a feeling that the result did not matter to them; The most important thing was to see world champion and eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi on the field.

Even the Hong Kong government expressed disappointment at the 36-year-old’s absence from the match.

“Messi missed today’s friendly match and fans are equally disappointed by the provisions adopted by the government and the event organiser,” they announced in a statement on Sunday. “The event organizer will have to provide an explanation to the fans.”

Luis Suárez, another newcomer to the team, also did not play despite attending the pre-match press conference, while other notable players such as Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets only came on in the second half.

The additional trophy presentation, fireworks and a speech from club co-owner David Beckham were greeted with catcalls and jeers in an awkward end to the trip. The commotion continued as the big-screen cameras focused on Messi.

There was a change in atmosphere in the last 20 minutes of the match: chants of “We want Messi” gave way to “Where is Messi?” Whereas whenever a player other than Messi was substituted on the field of play, boos were heard.

Chants of “refund, refund, refund” were also heard in both English and Cantonese during overtime. According to Reuters, tickets went on sale in December and were priced between 880 and 4,880 Hong Kong dollars (about US$113 and US$624).

CNN has contacted the event’s organizer, Tatler, for comment.

Why didn’t Messi play?

In a statement on Sunday, Tatler

Miami coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino explained that the decision not to field Messi was made at very short notice and on the recommendation of the club’s medical staff.

“We understand the fans’ reaction to the absence of Leo and Luis,” apologized Martino, who also thanked Hong Kong for the “attention” they received throughout the weekend.

“It was a decision taken together with our medical team. We examined his physical condition and if he had jumped onto the field he would have been at risk of injury, so he would not have been able to play.

“We understand the fans’ disappointment and apologize. We would have loved to play with them even for a little longer, but the risk was too great.”

Martino was pressed about the type of injury Messi suffered, as there were already reports that the star player had a hamstring problem since Miami’s previous friendly match against Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.

“Leo’s adductor is swollen as we saw in the pictures of his muscles. We expected improvement, but the condition has persisted for several days,” Martino said. He said Suarez suffered a knee injury during a trip to Saudi Arabia. ,

“We were constantly monitoring him with the medical team, and we also had to consider our obligations with the upcoming MLS (Major League Soccer). So we came to the conclusion of not playing Messi in the match.”

“In fact, we are evaluating Leo’s situation day by day. Yesterday (Saturday) he was in the last training (session), and we evaluated him in the hotel until this morning. The decision was not taken until the afternoon. “

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“Personally, I’m obviously quite disappointed because he doesn’t come to Hong Kong much,” said Yapp, who captains a team of top division players.

“But we have to think about our performance and not focus too much on the opponent, who was still of a high level. Playing in a full stadium is already satisfying.”

The general sentiment was shared by local Messi superfan Christer Leung, who heads the city’s Argentina national team fan club.

“I think everyone is disappointed,” Leung, who named his son Lionel after the striker, told CNN.

“It was unexpected, I thought he’d play at least five minutes. If not, we wouldn’t have had to pay the price of tickets to come here. Got a lot of encouragement, which I think was fair, but also The timing was inappropriate.”

“This whole Messi thing in Hong Kong had been going on for a long time. Everyone was very excited and there was a lot of drama about the tickets.

“The training session (on Saturday) was also quite disappointing because nothing much happened and it was very short. Everyone expected it to be a lot more today, so everyone was disappointed.”

“But, as a long-time fan of his, if he is really suffering I completely respect the decision not to play him, because he is 36.

“I blame Inter Miami for organizing so many friendly events in so many different places. They should have invited everyone to come to the United States. I think they could have helped develop the brand internationally. Wanted to do it, which makes sense.”

“Mesimania” took over the city with the team’s arrival on Friday, as crowds of fans gathered at the hotel where the Miamians were staying. Meanwhile, the stadium had reached its maximum capacity during the team’s open training session a day earlier.

There was also strong support for Messi in mainland China after the Argentina team played a friendly against Australia in Beijing last summer.

It was the superstar’s seventh time in China, and an eighth could come in March as Argentina have confirmed two friendlies against Nigeria and Ivory Coast in Hangzhou and Beijing.

Inter Miami will now travel to Japan to play a friendly against Vissel Kobe this Wednesday.

—Additional reporting by CNN’s Kristi Lu-Stout