After Lionel Messi did not show up for a friendly match against Inter Miami, furious fans in Hong Kong were given the opportunity to receive a 50% refund on their tickets.
As the Herons traveled from Saudi Arabia to the Far East, the Argentine sensation was a member of their traveling team. He was, however, resting from an injury and stayed on the sidelines during an exhibition game in Hong Kong, along with fellow former Barcelona attacker Luis Suarez.
Disgruntled fans weren’t waiting to vent their frustrations, and they did so quickly. They teased Messi and Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham, and the government has demanded an explanation for why the show’s purported star didn’t appear in front of 40,000 eager spectators.
Three days later, just three days after Messi was cleared to play 30 minutes of a match against Vissel Kobe in Japan, the game’s organizers, Tatler Asia, posted on social media, apologizing to everyone who was let down by the football match between the Hong Kong team and Inter Miami on Sunday, February 4. We have worked really hard for months on an event that we had believed would be the pride of the city, but it has instead been the source of much sadness.
“But we are also heartbroken. We put our blood and sweat into bringing a world-class football match to Hong Kong and we were let down along with all of you. Inter Miami had committed under contract that their marquee players – Messi, Alba, Busquets and Suarez – would be required to play for 45 minutes unless injured. But as it turned out, we were informed by Inter Miami CF that Messi and Suarez could not play due to injury. Fans come to see a football game and star players, and injuries are part of the game. But what upsets us was the seeming lack of respect shown to the crowd. When we learned that Messi would not be playing, we pleaded with Inter Miami CF ownership and management to urge him to stand up, engage with the spectators and explain why he couldn’t play. He didn’t. The fact that Messi and Suarez played in Japan on February 7th feels like another slap in the face.”
The rest of the statement read, “We have invested millions of dollars and months of hard work into bringing a world-class event to Hong Kong, the city that is our home and where we have been headquartered for more than 45 years. Our aspiration was to create an iconic moment in support of the government’s efforts to remind the world how relevant and exciting Hong Kong is. That dream is broken today for us and all those who bought tickets to see Messi on the pitch. We have been in discussions with the government to resolve the issue. We also invited the Consumer Council to participate in the talks. We will not escape out responsibility as organisers and that is why Tatler Asia will offer all of those who purchased match-day tickets from the official channels a 50% refund. Once again, we ar
The game in question had up to 4,880 Hong Kong dollars (£500) in ticket costs, which sold out in under an hour. Messi has expressed regret for disappointing the local supporters and promised to make up for it at a later date, if a mutually agreeable time is found.