Fans have expressed their anger after soccer superstar Lionel Messi skipped a match in Hong Kong.
Messi sat out the match on Sunday, reportedly because of an injury, failing to make an appearance despite repeated calls from fans. Messi was supposed to play in a highly anticipated match between his team, Inter Miami, and a Hong Kong XI. Fellow Inter Miami star Luis Suarez also skipped the game.
Kevin Yeung, Hong Kong's secretary for culture, sports and tourism, said the local government made last-minute efforts to ensure Messi's appearance.
"We immediately requested them to explore other remedies, such as Messi appearing on the field to interact with his fans," Yeung said during a press conference.
Fans, who had paid as much as $624 to watch the 36-year-old superstar, booed and chanted "refund" when Messi sat out the game.
Messi took to the pitch in the 60th minute of a friendly match in Tokyo on Wednesday, which drew further criticism from Chinese mainland and Hong Kong soccer fans.
The Chinese Football Association (CFA), soccer's governing body in China, subsequently severed ties with Messi and deleted his name from their website, Chinese state media outlet Kandu News said on Weibo.
Newsweek emailed Inter Miami to request comment on the CFA's decision to sever ties with Messi but didn't receive a reply by publication time.
On Wednesday, Messi's no-show at the Hong Kong match was among five of the top ten trends on Weibo. The hashtag "Chinese Football Association has deleted all news about Messi" has been viewed over 89 million times on the Chinese social media platform.
Hong Kong politicians have also expressed their displeasure over Messi's no-show at the Hong Kong game.
"Hong Kong people hate Messi, Inter-Miami, and the black hand behind them for the deliberate and calculated snub to Hong Kong," said Regina Ip, a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, on X, formerly Twitter.
Inter Miami has apologized to fans who had hoped to see Messi and Suarez.
"Despite our best intentions, we understand there has been disappointment over the absence of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in Sunday's match, and we are sorry that the two players could not participate," Miami said in a statement.
Messi issued a direct apology to his fans on Weibo.
"I regretted not being able to play in the friendly match in Hong Kong due to a groin injury," Messi said on Weibo on Wednesday. "The injury was swollen and painful. Friends who know me will know that I want to give my best in every game, especially when I am away from my teammates like this. The fans are looking forward to seeing us healthy. I hope we have a chance to go back one day."
Chinese nationalist tabloid the Global Times pointed out that Messi had played in Japan instead of Hong Kong, raising doubts about integrity.
"The match in Hong Kong became the only one in Messi's six pre-season friendly matches on this trip where he was absent," the Global Times said. "Previously, there were already voices questioning the differential treatment of Messi and Inter Miami. The situation in this match has magnified these doubts and suspicions on the integrity of Inter Miami and Messi himself."
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About the writer
Aadil Brar is a reporter for Newsweek based in Taipei, Taiwan. He covers international security, U.S.-China relations, and East Asian ... Read more
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