The Government and football fans of Hong Kong feel deeply snubbed and disappointed in Leo Messi. That the Argentine star did not participate for a minute in the friendly that Inter Miami had scheduled against a local team last Sunday caused great disappointment among the 40,000 fans who came to witness the event with the intention of seeing their idol live. . With tickets that reached around 600 euros, many of them paid by fans from other parts of Asia, Messi had to endure a thunderous whistle on the bench. The outrage has caused many of Messi's followers who went to the National Stadium to request a refund of their tickets. Not even the Hong Kong Government's attempts during the match to get the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner onto the field in the second half bore fruit.
The Hong Kong government, which provided some 2 million in subsidies to the match organizer, has said it was “extremely disappointed” that the Argentine star did not play. In a press conference held this Monday, Hong Kong Secretary of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Kevin Yeung, revealed that the contract signed between the government and the organizing company, Tatler XFEST, required that Messi play at least 45 minutes whenever when safety reasons or injury do not allow it. The coach of Inter Miami, Tata Martino, justified that the decision not to field Messi was made late due to a last-minute injury. However, the Hong Kong Government demanded that he at least interact with the public, something that did not happen either, to the despair of the fans who packed the venue.
Since Inter Miami landed on the Asian island last Friday, the Messimania was unleashed. The surroundings of the hotel where the American team's expedition was staying became a hive of Messi fans searching for a picture or an autograph. On Saturday, the National Stadium was also filled to watch the training. What the fans did not suspect is that the next day they would be left without seeing the developments in Messi's field. They could only watch as he stoically endured the thunderous whistle that he received for not playing.
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