The organizer of the Inter Miami friendly match in Hong Kong had committed that Lionel Messi would play at least 45 minutes, The Hong Kong Sports Minister declared this Monday in response to the discontent caused by the player's absence from the field.
The Argentine, eight-time Ballon d'Or winner and who suffers from a hamstring injury, remained on the bench throughout the match, played on Sunday and in which his team beat the Hong Kong team 4-1.
But the 38,323 spectators who had paid at least 125 dollars (about 115 euros), and in many cases up to five times more, to see their idol in action were very disappointed. From the stands, the public chanted “refund!” and booed until the end.
Local fans in Hong Kong, angry at the absence of Lionel Messi in the friendly that was played in their City. The government asked Inter Miami for explanations. pic.twitter.com/Dl8ZPsb9Mr
— Pablo Giralt (@giraltpablo) February 5, 2024
The Hong Kong government released two statements on Sunday night. He declared himself “extremely disappointed” and threatened to withdraw the 1.9 million euros (about 2 million dollars) of public financing from the event's organizer, Tatler Asia, a media specialized in fashion and lifestyle.
“One of the main conditions of our financing agreement with Tatler Asia was that Messi participate in the match for at least 45 minutes, except for reasons related to his physical condition and safety,” said Kevin Yeung, Secretary of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Hong Kong, this Monday at a press conference.
“Yesterday (Sunday), before the match started, Tatler Asia reaffirmed that Messi was going to play in the second half,” he explained.
According to Yeung, the local government tried to negotiate with the organizer after seeing that the 36-year-old player did not take the field at the start of the second half.
The government asked that other solutions be “studyed, such as Messi going out onto the field to greet his fans and receive the trophy,” Yeung said. “Unfortunately, as you see, this didn't work.”
The explanation of the match organizers
Hours later, the CEO of Tatler Asia confirmed that Messi had to play under contract, except in the case of injury.
“Tatler Asia deeply regrets the disappointing end” to what should have been a “super occasion,” Michel Lamuniere said in a company statement.
The head of Tatler Asia announced that the company “has decided to officially withdraw its demand for government subsidy.”
This Monday, the Hong Kong Consumer Council announced for its part that it had received about 40 lawsuits for the events that occurred.
SPORTS
With AFP
More Sports news
#Lionel #Messi #trouble #playing #friendly #Hong #Kong #Government #intervened
