Messi’s Missed Match: Outraged Fans Demand Refunds

Dive into the fury of Lionel Messi’s fans in Hong Kong as they demand refunds following his absence from an exhibition match. Explore the reasons behind the outrage and the repercussions for event organizers. Join the conversation on transparency and accountability in sports events.

The Argentinean soccer superstar sat out of an exhibition match having featured heavily in advertising for the event which was to receive millions in funding from the government of the Chinese territory.

Hong Kong — After paying hundreds of euros to watch the Argentine soccer sensation play in an exhibition match in Hong Kong, Lionel Messi’s fans were left furious.

An exhibition match between a team of elite Hong Kong players and Inter Miami, a Major League Soccer team that Messi joined last year, was played on Sunday in front of a sellout audience of 40,000 spectators. Many people in the audience were dressed in the pink of Inter Miami or the blue and white of Argentina’s national team, which won the 2022 World Cup. Messi is the captain of both teams.

Videos from Hong Kong Stadium that NBC News obtained showed supporters jeering and yelling “Refund!” as co-owner David Beckham spoke to the crowd following Inter Miami’s 4-1 victory.

The Hong Kong government, which has been trying to win the world back to the increasingly isolated Chinese territory, said it was “deeply disappointed” by Messi’s absence from the match and threatened to reduce the 16 million Hong Kong dollars ($2 million) in sponsorship it had provided.

The game’s commercial partner, luxury media company Tatler Asia, announced on Monday that it would be withdrawing its request for government support.

Jameson Gong, whose 12-year-old son’s ticket cost 3,000 Hong Kong dollars ($385), expressed his displeasure with the way the matter was handled.

American comedian Gong, who has lived in Hong Kong for a long period, told NBC News that “people need to be held accountable, fired, whatever.” “I feel embarrassed about this.”

The event’s tickets, which sold out in less than an hour in December and ranged from 880 to 4,880 Hong Kong dollars ($112 to $624), mainly starred Messi in the ads.

“Let’s be honest, no one was going to buy a ticket if they knew Messi was not going to play,” said Gong, who on Monday staged a brief one-man protest in Hong Kong’s central business district, holding a sign that described the game as the city’s “biggest scam.”

“We don’t mind if he gets hurt; we know that. But make it known,” he continued, noting that if Messi had been unable to play, he could have spoken to the crowd or signed autographs.

The public’s dissatisfaction with the game is a setback for Hong Kong authorities’ attempts to revitalize the global financial center, whose standing has been damaged recently by a government crackdown on dissent and some of the strictest Covid-19 regulations in the world.

How could they allow this to occur if the goal of the Hong Kong administration is to “make Hong Kong a big city with big events”? said Gong.

After the game on Sunday, Inter Miami head coach Gerardo Martino spoke to reporters. He acknowledged the disappointment of the fans but explained that he didn’t want to take a chance on Messi’s (36), and Uruguay’s Luis Suárez’s (37), ailments getting worse.

Prior to the commencement of its regular season on February 21, Inter Miami has been touring the world with exhibition matches. Messi and his colleagues are scheduled to play again in Japan on Wednesday after arriving in Hong Kong from Saudi Arabia on Friday.

Continentally Chinese and other Asian fans journeyed to see Messi, who hadn’t performed in Hong Kong since 2014.

Guangzhou, a city in southern China, is home to 22-year-old Zhang Yiyi, an admissions counselor, who expressed her disappointment at not being able to witness Messi play in person.

She admitted, “I have complicated feelings.” “I had been a fan for 14 years, and I really wanted to see his magical power up close.”

Advertising and marketing specialist Yin Chao, 36, took time off work from his Shanghai job and paid 2,980 Hong Kong dollars ($380) for a ticket to watch Messi play. Chao noted that there might not be many more chances for him to see firsthand the skills of aging, injury-plagued stars like Messi and Suárez.

“We’re really feeling a little upset about the host and Beckham’s post-match comments,” he stated. “[They] seemed to just be going through the motions and not responding at all in the face of jeers from the entire crowd.”

The chairman and CEO of Tatler Asia, Michel Lamunière, stated that Messi and other prominent players had to play in the match unless they were hurt, under the terms of the company’s agreement with Inter Miami.

He said that Tatler Asia “had every expectation that both would play” because Messi and Suárez were named as substitutes on the official team sheet that was filed prior to the game on Sunday.

After learning at halftime that Messi would not be able to play due to injury, Tatler Asia “immediately informed the government,” according to Lamunière. The organization then begged Inter Miami to have Messi address the crowd instead, but to no effect.

At the press conference, Lamunière did not address the subject of refunds and declined to answer questions from reporters.

According to the government’s contract with Tatler Asia, Messi had to play for at least 45 minutes, “subject to fitness and safety considerations,” according to earlier remarks made by Hong Kong Sports Minister Kevin Yeung.

Yeung added that the government was not informed that Messi would not be participating until ten minutes before the game ended, despite Tatler Asia having confirmed prior to the game that he would participate in the second half.

“We therefore immediately requested them to explore other remedies, such as Messi appearing on the field to interact with his fans, and receiving the trophy,” Yeung said. “Unfortunately, as you all see, these did not work out.”

Conclusion

The outcry from Lionel Messi’s disappointed fans in Hong Kong underscores the significance of transparency and accountability in sports events. As event organizers face backlash over Messi’s absence, the incident serves as a reminder of the importance of delivering on promises made to fans. Moving forward, ensuring honesty and integrity in event planning is essential to maintaining trust and loyalty among supporters.