Soccer-China says Messi's absence in Hong Kong match beyond 'realm of sports' as fury builds (updated)

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08/02/2024 06:17

(Adds fan comment in paragraphs 13-14)
       HONG KONG, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Chinese state media, Hong
Kong politicians and some fans swiftly condemned Argentine
player Lionel Messi's participation in a match in Japan on
Wednesday after staying on the bench just days earlier in a
highly anticipated game in Hong Kong.
    Many in the financial hub were dismayed on Sunday when the
36-year-old did not come onto the field during a much hyped
Inter Miami match in front of a sell-out crowd, with fans
demanding answers and a refund.
    Miami head coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino said Messi was
deemed unfit to play in Sunday's friendly in Hong Kong, but he
came on as a 60th minute substitute against Vissel Kobe on
Wednesday.
    China's state-controlled Global Times said Messi's absence
posed many questions on the differential treatment for Hong
Kong. 
    "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 situation ... has magnified these doubts and suspicions on
the integrity of Inter Miami and Messi himself."
    Some mainland fans travelled 12 hours from Xinjiang to Hong
Kong to see Messi, the Global Times wrote, with the
disappointment of the government and fans "entirely
understandable. The impact of this incident has far exceeded the
realm of sports."
    Messi apologised to his Chinese fans on Weibo, a Chinese
platform similar to X, just ahead of the game on Wednesday,
saying it was a real shame he was not able to play in Hong Kong
due to an injury.
    "Anyone who knows me knows that I always want to play...
especially in these games where we travel so far and people are
excited to see our games. Hopefully we can come back and play a
game in Hong Kong," he wrote in Chinese and Spanish.    
    The match in Hong Kong drew 40,000 fans, with spectators
paying up to nearly HK$5,000 ($640) per ticket. In Tokyo, entire
blocks of seating at the Japan National Stadium remained
unoccupied, with just 28,614 tickets sold.
    Hong Kong's Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau said in a
statement that, like the fans, it was very disappointed that
Messi could not play in Hong Kong due to injury.
    "However three days later, Messi was able to play actively
and freely in Japan ... the government hopes the organisers and
teams can provide reasonable explanations."
    Sports lawmaker Kenneth Fok said the incident "sprinkled
salt wounds" on Hong Kong fans, while senior government advisor
Regina Ip wrote on X that "Hong Kong people hate Messi,
Inter-Miami and the black hand behind them, for the deliberate
and calculate snub to Hong Kong."
    Scott Wong, a 26-year-old cadet pilot, said that if Messi
comes back to play in Hong Kong he would think twice before
getting tickets, in case he is injured again. 
    "All the backlash Inter Miami got, plus Messi, I think he
feels like he needs to make up for it. That's why he promised to
come back and play the game again."

 (Reporting by Farah Master, Jessie Pang and Edmond Ng; editing
by Michael Perry and Peter Rutherford)
 ((farah.master@thomsonreuters.com; +852 3462 7709;))