A portion of the ticket price of soccer star Lionel Messi (37, Argentina), who plays for Inter Miami in the U.S. Professional Soccer League (MLS), was refunded due to his ‘no show’ in a friendly match in Hong Kong.
Lionel Messi sitting on the bench during a friendly match on the 4th. /AFP Yonhap News
Hong Kong media outlet South China Morning Post reported on the 9th that Hong Kong officials and the friendly match organizers met to discuss ticket refunds. At the same time, citing sources, it was reported that spectators may receive a partial refund of the ticket price. And according to Bloomberg News, Tatler Asia, which hosted the friendly match, announced in a statement this afternoon, “We will refund 50% of the ticket price to those who purchased tickets through official channels.”
The friendly match between Inter Miami of the United States and the Hong Kong professional soccer all-star team held on the 4th attracted about 40,000 soccer fans who purchased tickets worth hundreds of thousands of won each. It was to see Messi, the ‘God of Football’. However, Messi did not play due to injury, and Hong Kong fans were furious.
In particular, the impact grew as even the Hong Kong government, which had actively reached out by providing subsidies, belatedly revealed that it was notified of Messi’s ‘no-show’ only 10 minutes before the end of the game.
Angry Hong Kong fans. /AFP Yonhap News
Meanwhile, Hong Kong fans’ anger and demands for a refund began to boil over when Messi played for about 30 minutes in a friendly match held in Japan on the 7th, three days after his ‘no-show’ in Hong Kong.
Currently, more than 1,100 consumer complaints requesting refunds for the game have been received by the Hong Kong Consumer Commission, and the amount requested for refunds has reportedly increased to HK$8.1 million (approximately KRW 1.4 billion).
In the end, the organizers decided to back down and return part of the ticket price.
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2024-02-09 07:34:52
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