The three-day celebration of Lionel Messi in Hong Kong concluded in disappointment for his fans, as the Argentine football star did not participate in the match. Despite a sellout crowd witnessing Inter Miami secure a 4-1 victory against a local League XI in a friendly on Sunday, Messi remained on the bench throughout the entire 90-minute game. This led to spectators expressing their displeasure by booing both the team and its owner, former England captain David Beckham.
The Hong Kong government, which gave match organizers Tatler Asia HK$15 million ($1.92 million) for the event, said it would follow up with the organizer to see what went wrong. The Major Sports Events Committee will “take follow-up actions with the organizer according to the terms and conditions, which may include a reduction in funding.”
An MSEC statement said it had hoped Messi would play because the team was in the city for a preseason tour. It said the organization had told it he might be unable to play due to injury and only confirmed he wouldn’t take part 10 minutes before the match ended. The statement added: “The government and all football fans are extremely disappointed about the organizer’s arrangement. The organizer owes all football fans an explanation.”
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Despite the disappointment, the U.S. MLS club did not want to cancel the game or ask the fans for their money back. In a post-match press conference, Inter coach Tata Martino said that Messi had an MRI last week in Saudi Arabia. Though he felt fine after light jogging at training on Saturday, the medical staff decided not to risk him playing because it was too close to the upcoming season opener.
Messi has been battling adductor injuries since the end of last year, and his absence was a big letdown for fans. But it wasn’t all bad news: Beckham was cheered when he came out onto the pitch to warm up and was embraced by the crowd after the game as they waved and chanted for him to return to the MLS.
But the jeers rose again when Beckham tried to thank them for their support, prompting them to boo him and signal thumbs-down gestures. They also booed when the team’s video tribute to the Hong Kong stadium was shown on the scoreboard. Beckham had circled the field earlier, waving at fans and stopping security from hauling off a pitch invader. Some lawmakers and a business leader have called for the city to pull funding from the organizers. They argue that the incident undermines Hong Kong’s reputation as a global events hub.