Hong Kong football fans paid hundreds of dollars to see Lionel Messi in action with Inter Miami. But the Argentine star footballer did not enter the field.
Seeing star footballer Lionel Messi in action, how often do you get that opportunity as a Hong Kong resident? When it was announced that Messi’s employer Inter Miami would play a practice match in the country, the tickets were sold out in no time. 40,000 fans paid a lot of money for it, with ticket prices ranging from 115 to more than 600 dollars.
But the match against Hong Kong XI turned out to be a disappointment on Sunday. Messi remained on the bench for the entire match, for an understandable reason. The 36-year-old Argentinian is struggling with a thigh injury. Winter signing Luis Suárez (37), who previously played with Messi at FC Barcelona, also watched from the sidelines for ninety minutes.
The grumbling from the stands started during the match. “We want Messi,” sounded through the stadium. As the match neared the end and Messi had still not come on, the fans in unison demanded their money back.
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They received support from the Hong Kong government on Sunday evening, which had awarded the organization of the competition a subsidy of 2 million dollars (1.86 million euros). Sports Minister Kevin Yeung asks organizer Tatler Asia for clarification, international news agencies report. According to Yeung, the subsidy conditions stated that Messi had to make an appearance for at least 45 minutes.
In a statement, Tatler Asia expressed “great disappointment at the non-participation” of the two. According to Inter Miami’s Argentinian coach Gerardo Martino, it was “too big a risk” to bring in Messi and Suarez. “We understand that many fans are frustrated and ask for forgiveness.”(nrc)
