Why was Messi booed in Hong Kong?

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Hong Kong lawmakers and a sports industry leader have demanded authorities recover funds they provided for a high-profile football match that disappointed tens of thousands of fans and undermined the city’s status as an events hub. The events included a February 4, 2024, exhibition match where Inter Miami star Lionel Messi never took the field. Post Sports Editor Joshua Ball tries to unpack what we know about why the world-famous footballer travelled to Hong Kong without playing and what repercussions might lie ahead after the incident.
Social media source: X / @hurtingbombz
Related story:
Messi’s Hong Kong no-show: what contract said, when government knew, any refund? sc.mp/ayung
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[@brukujinbrokujin7802]

5000 dollar for a friendly match football ticket is scam from the start

[@mr_winds_stuff]

640 dollars lahh

[@felixwcwc206]

*640

[@NishanT_ACM]

140 dollars something

[@lok8067]

@@mr_winds_stuff i spent 3000usd to buy a ticket and nothing

[@leealex24]

Hey, they get to see him. Just not see him play. Lol

[@HT-tn7kl]

not only staying on the bench, Messi and Inter Miami didnt even try to greet and interact with the audience. Messi stayed at the corner at all time, even hide behind his teammates in the ceremony. we truly felt we were being ignored

[@LucasSanchez]

Is not his fault he didn't play or the situation was communicated badly

[@dxgm8512]

agree, and disagree with the journalist about it not being Messi's fault - sure not his fault if he was injured, but how he reacted was something he could control, like even smiling or going around for ONE MINUTE round the stadium would have be better than nothing and might have made a small difference in the anger index. And also disagree about this being over-hyped making it all about Messi - so if Federer were to come to Hong Kong at his peak and the organisers should not actually "sell" that he is coming, surely it is really all about him and people want to see him. Same here, people want to see Messi, sure Suarez too but Messi is the GOAT. So disagree about it now being the fault of the hype, next we would say it is the fans' fault for experiencing angry emotions. Interesting logic!

[@valt1337]

they greeted, I was there, stop spreading false information

[@rossgaller960]

His life is his choice

[@pamady276]

@@LucasSanchez Did you watch the video?? The organizer said that Messi gonna play, that's why people buy tickets and want to watch this friendly match. If the organizer didn't wanna Messi to play, they should tell people earlier

[@weiheng81]

And then Messi happily played in Japan. Wow a miracle of healing. Just don’t worship him anymore. He’s just a football player.

[@miaomiaozhou-tt9yz]

Dwarf

[@liokmin]

So true

[@Catherinew2046]

Nope he is the biggest scammer in 2024

[@Dreaming2004]

And a lier

[@user-rs1jb2wb2j]

梅西精神里代表美国白人意识形态，种族歧视。今天唤醒的是他对印第安人的优越感，明天他对黑人优越感就会油然而生。

[@MegaSuehan]

The Hongkong fans rightfully booed Messi.

[@Jesus..666]

That's china for you

[@GK-qc5ry]

No, blame the organisers who promised too much. They did it to secure ticket sales.

[@JL-xz3zf]

@@GK-qc5ry Exactly, then these idiots just shout horrible things and blame Messi. The manager decides who plays, not him. They are not real fans.

[@user-xs5mk3xv6p]

@@JL-xz3zf 你是傻逼吗？

[@jhonatanalviar4478]

I understand their frustration ​@@JL-xz3zf

[@test-ve6wg]

I feel genuinely sorry. They can't even sue the organisers.

[@gmanlee575]

He had an injury so cant play

[@wphhaydn2987]

​@gmanlee575 maybe but he told us the injured when the match pass 80 min and that match is just 90min total ， so that kinda weird

[@wphhaydn2987]

​@@gmanlee575and the Ads say he will play like 90% bro I think u didn't know the full version of this event ， bro also am not a fan but this is really ridiculous and make many of us confused

[@seeker7702]

Broo.. 😂😂😂😂😂

[@cavstro211]

​@@gmanlee575he joined the ticket-selling open training session the day before, how injured can he be

[@toughman2013]

People who dont love him boo him , people who love him would boo harder.

[@stevensabowski2908]

somtimes in life u dont get what u want

[@barbosaluiz]

​@@stevensabowski2908and sometimes in life you just get booed

[@SoulGachapon]

@@stevensabowski2908With that logic, I’ll just open a store and tells you that in life you don't always get what you want after you paid

[@hannibal2363]

​@stevensabowski2908 but people should get what they paid for!!!

[@intlgoh5229]

@@stevensabowski2908 what goes around comes around

[@zlu2638]

Three days ago, he played in Saudi Arabia; two days later, he played in Japan. He injured and recovered in five days. That must be a miracle!

[@AidenLo]

My friends were sooo disappointed and mad when he did not play

[@bhvillaman4401]

Should've gone to see him in his prime then instead

[@theboxreport7749]

Man without respect is just a lowlife

[@taiwansocal3121]

Vote your displeasure against Messi by boycotting Addidas

[@Fcxip]

you paid him ? dkhead

[@blurdreamer]

the audiences feel like a hero when they got the ticket which is hard to get, but feel like a fool after the match.

[@TruthSeekers13]

Their hero dont care about them.serve them right for simping

[@TheRaggedyDandyRandy]

Maybe they shouldn't have bought them in the first place like an idiot.

[@TruthSeekers13]

@@TheRaggedyDandyRandy lol the only thing messi after from asians is their money and somehow they are glad to worship the argentinian

[@hi_lol1912]

Ee

[@llll-ye5qe]

The worship is not for Argentinian , it's for the soccer spirit and the one with best skills and ethics.Apparently, messi lose his honor.@@TruthSeekers13

[@YukioMaxi]

Moral of the story : don't be obsessed with anything. Be a fan of yourself

[@ultramax6442]

agree and i have done that myself

[@user-of6fk7zl4n]

Yeah honestly just watch the game from your TV or some other 3rd party app it's much better

[@eurobeat_enjoyer]

The only person with sense here

[@TrungNguyen-wg2pu]

Exactly

[@quanthehiep]

Very true, it is definition of pure football fan and it is a wish from a pure footballers!

[@TechAger]

Ronaldo still apologised Messi didnt even apologise

[@user-rh2hm2wj8l]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/fmbUpY2hoJiGsM0si=pOcJj1VkkWUeqgTJ

[@YASHRSEWDA]

He did Child. He did apologize. Grow up.

[@qiqi8451]

He did post on weibo about why he didn’t show up. But it was short and brief and didn’t do it in a sorry way so people don’t buy it. So like half -apologized but mostly likely he only did it due to pressure of public opinion. And some said he didn’t post himself but his operation team in China did. Bc his ip showed in China 😅

[@jayden_cuckoo]

@@qiqi8451ronaldo gave them refunds.obviously easier to say but difficult to action tho

[@taiwansocal3121]

Vote your displeasure against Messi by boycotting Addidas

[@Wildman-bb2zy]

As a professional football player, even when injured, many fans from around the world come to watch his matches. He should at least take a moment to acknowledge the fans by walking around the field to show respect to the audience. However, the way he handles this situation is entirely unacceptable.

[@siuabc]

He doesn’t respect ppl of HK

[@cherrylle]

He wasn't even injured

[@Indrakusuma_a]

Also happened in Indonesia. Messi's name plastered everywhere online, yet in the end there's no sight of him since he didn't even travelled with the team(Argentina) to Indonesia.

[@candychimes8184]

Seems that owners of the team and organizers are just cashing in irresponsibly

[@Vladimirputin11111]

He is not obligated to go there... Simple...Internet is everywhere you can see their activities....

[@MMLL369]

@@Vladimirputin11111 Ah, you've got an insight on his contract with the team?

[@Kash-is-King]

Argentina is also a poor country compared to most countries in East Asia... Don't forget the country has defaulted on its sovereign debt nine times, including three times during the past two decades

[@wphhaydn2987]

kinda bad fake ads we need to stop fake ads #stopshowingfakeads

[@franklink472]

Two things the video has not mentioned: 1, The government has had a contract with the team, in which the team promised Messi would play at least 45 minutes. 2, The organiser only found out Messi would not play at the last minute and asked him to at least say a few words thanking the fans, who came all the way to support, and Messi refused to do so.

[@MiguelBartolomei]

That is completely false and you don't know what you are talking about. He is injured and that's it. He's not going to get hurt any more than he is, just because you want to see him play. Stop making up stories.

[@franklink472]

@@MiguelBartolomei It is fact. Several news sources reported that they agreed that Messi would play at least 45 minutes. A contract is a contract. Stop being a crazy fan boy crying over fact before doing your research.

[@ProfitTax]

The government had a contract with Tatler Asia, the organizer who promised Messi would play 45mins in their application for the "M" Mark Events funding support. Tatler Asia today announced they'd withdraw the application due to the public outcry. This whole saga was so poor beyond words.

[@franklink472]

@@MiguelBartolomei How could you not even do your searching before accusing people making up stories. How ignorant and arrogant you are.

[@evanguo968]

⁠@@MiguelBartolomeiIf you have any problems, at least explain your situation to your fans like CR. But Messi cherish his words like gold, acting silence. Eventually, his poor fans paied 5000$ just get to watch him fool around the chair like a water boy.😂

[@simonshaw2449]

He wasn’t even injured. He played for more than half an hour in Japan just 2 days after the Hong Kong match.

[@sabrevni9866]

he played for 30mins

[@jtomyhope575]

Japan is #1. Even Messi knows this lol.

[@user-kf8gp3kb9i]

Saurez too

[@taiwansocal3121]

Vote your displeasure against Messi by boycotting Addidas

[@simonshaw2449]

@@taiwansocal3121 Nah I’m not that angry.

[@-leannexxx-8146]

As a citizen of Hong Kong, I really get it and I feel sorry for them. I watched on television and saw that Messi didn't really react to anything, and just sat there chewing on some gum. No hate for anyone's opinion, but I feel he could've been a little bit more friendly even if he had an injury or whatever

[@-leannexxx-8146]

@@user-bs2fd3gs4k 真的嗎?🤔

[@taiwansocal3121]

Vote your displeasure against Messi by boycotting Addidas

[@fanaedon9436]

我们Hong Kong马桶女是这样的😂

[@ianukyothomason4713]

Messi could have probably played 5 minutes at the end of the game, much better than nothing for the HK fans.

[@NishanT_ACM]

he was not in the squad

[@Football__king.09211]

He was not in the squad how can he play

[@gonnabehappy]

he even refused to say hi to fans@@NishanT_ACM

[@gonnabehappy]

he even refused to say hi to fans@@Football__king.09211

[@gytan2221]

Yeah… actually no need to play. He could’ve just stand in the middle of the football pitch and let all the fans see him.

[@JustRockIt141]

To be honest he only has to stand on the field for like 10 min and i believe at least 80% of the rage would be gone. He also came in without wearing jersey and spikes which means he was not planning to participate in the match from the beginning. RIP fans.

[@namfingerstyle8403]

He was injured so what your point? He wasnt in Team squad that day. The only problem is they should annouce that Messi would not play before a day

[@Nan-qd6hu]

@@namfingerstyle8403the next day he played in Japan. How ironic

[@hopelfreyamikaelson9348]

@@namfingerstyle8403Messi refused at the last minute and the organizers told to Atleast say something to fans he didn’t . Stop being a ignorant Messi fan and listen to facts sometimes If I am paying 5000 hkd -640usd I want to Atleast see him he was sitting hiding behind his teammates whole match .

[@nitinpandey3616]

​@@hopelfreyamikaelson9348 It's not really his fault tho . Messi didn't promise anyone that he'd play . It's the promoters for making false promises. Messi was injured

[@namfingerstyle8403]

@@hopelfreyamikaelson9348 Normal ticket is 200$ USA btw. He might hear people boo him so he refuse to talk . Its not his fault. Better than Ronaldo when Juve played at Korea.

[@hanshuang4287]

He wants make money from hongkong people , but he looks down hongkong people, what a ridiculous

[@RTX3060GAMING]

19 June 2023 in Indonesia, Messi's photo is also displayed everywhere. Indonesia vs Argentina, but Messi is not present. Many were disappointed by Messi's absence

[@reliablepeople]

they should have refunded the audience

[@axel3689]

Money talks

[@Lee-zu8di]

But the truth can’t follow our mind

[@showlee9176]

Hong Kong government paid a lot for the game, including buying tickets and giving them to the local people. . didn't expect to end up like this. Meysey lied to everyone

[@uguarte606]

@@showlee9176 lol how did messi lie? Did he say that I will play? He has already said that he has an adductor muscle swelling. He can't play. Do you want to aggravate his injuries just because the organiser tatler asia sold vague promises that messi will play? An athlete can get injured anytime. You seem like a hater trying to paint messi as some kinda villain.

[@contact-matthewtam2756]

The thing is that Messi IS REQUIRED to play at least 45 minutes on the field, and Messi even promised that right before the end of first half of the match HK government later was informed that Messi wouldn’t take part in the match 80 MINUTES INTO THE MATCH, the government asked Messi to explain the situation to the entire stadium which he agreed, AND THEN HE JUST HID BEHIND his teammates and kept quiet Trust me, I’m a Hongkonger and this had been all over the news for the past couple of days, the government is now taking back the 16M dollars paid for inter-Miami and also suing Messi for ruining the city’s reputation Can’t wait to hear more about Messi’s consequences coming right up!

[@Fairfax-pz1jn]

I think the organiser should clearly be sued, like what the editor in the video said, Messi all over the place, and he didn’t play, that’s straight and plain false advertising, we should all be have full rights to sue and get refund, correct me if I’m wrong

[@anthonygarcia3922]

Messi was literally confirmed to be injured days before..they could've gotten the refund before the game, cause it was obvioushe wasnt gonna play. So no, your statement is BS.

[@antimoba7778]

​@@anthonygarcia3922nope. The organizers didn't inform anything so it's still a scam. So your statement is BS

[@wphhaydn2987]

yeah total truth

[@wphhaydn2987]

​@@anthonygarcia3922but the weird thing is , they told the injury in the match almost finish , I don't think that have respect us

[@sunwukong7567]

​@@antimoba7778Weird, for a people who's glued to their phones 24/7 they didn't knew or get up to date with his injury.

[@human_being99_3]

i can understand why they are upset refund should be given without even arguing.

[@franklemon2284]

I agree, but the refund should not be requested for the host from HK but the Miami Club.

[@jtomyhope575]

@@franklemon2284 HK took the money. They lied to Chinese fans. They continue to lie and blame someone else. Messi was right to not do anything. He's not your property.

[@shuangzahchang2229]

Not only did Messi not play, he put out a long face the whole time. I felt guilty supporting him for the world cup

[@hww2741]

Fans loves Messi so much that they do understand that he might be injured, even he was not well enough to play the match, but he could have walk one round of the field after the match and waved to fans and said something nice like “thank you so much for coming over to see me, I am so sorry that I couldn’t play due to my injury, I will come back to HK again and I love you all…….” At least people will feel better about the whole thing. When people become very successful, they lost their empathy and humble beginning.

[@quanthehiep]

While I would agree with you, there is difference between showbiz star and great football player. Communication is one of the things. Also, Messi is a guy who not wanted to take spotlight. He is not happy to sit on the bench, but if he is not involved to the game, it’s difficult for him to go out and say “thank you for coming to see me” because at the end of the day, it is team sport. In common sense, they come to see Messi, but we cannot ignore someone coming for other reasons. Hater is always finding reasons to hate more. Lover tend to understand and and show sympathy. So let’s move on forward to useful stuffs rather than stay with sadness 😊

[@DULENSHK]

@@quanthehiepLOL, don’t sound like you know that guy

[@hww2741]

After all is all about the attitude of Messi, Beckham and the organizer, at least show some respect to people who loves you and gives you money.

[@Victor_386]

He doesn't speak English bruh 🤦🏼‍♂️🤡

[@mamamia5668]

Messi is as introverted as they come though. Cant remembe when he last even uttered a word

[@c.c7490]

Ahhh it seems to be so common now. Ronaldo not playing in Miami vs Nassr and now Messi. When you come from huge distances and pay a bomb just to watch your idol play and it doesn’t happen is surely frustrating and saddening. Well if it’s a genuine injury then you really can’t do much.

[@FernandoBaruja]

Alnassr cancel the travel to china because Ronaldo is injury and in the Last dance Alnassr say that Ronaldo not gonna play days before, not compare Ronaldo with Messi, one have Word.

[@kingimmortal4082]

Al nassr refund and also pay for hotel and travel expenses,Miami did nothing

[@NishanT_ACM]

@@FernandoBaruja korea 2018

[@BLITZMalaysia]

The difference is Ronaldo make it clear he will not play days before the matches

[@nickinacionalista86]

A quien mierda le importa ronaldo

[@Garphy22]

they don't blame him for his potential injury. It is so disappointed for what he does to his 40 thousand loyal fans.

[@asd123465jkl]

I remember when Messi came to Bangladesh for a international friendly against Nigeria. Glad I got to see him, Di Maria, Higuain and others play live in my country but that was over a decade ago.

[@fredh8065]

Heres my advice to all the Asian fans, STOP IDOLIZING these athletes. To them the Asian market is just a cash cow and not worth paying the attention. To them, you are an easy market that doesnt need to be appealed. Messi did it twice (HK and Indonesia), Ronaldo in SOuth Korea. Heres my advice, stop buying their products. Make them earn it.

[@user-oj9de7qc6t]

I agree with you that the Asian market is really huge.just make a profit

[@user-ty3kh9rn6l]

Couldn't AGREE any more

[@diollinebranderson6553]

Or maybe coz it's a friendly match so they think nothing of it? Again im not defending messi or Ronaldo here.

[@bhvillaman4401]

Trust me if they wanted to see Messi play they should've gone Barca in his prime instead of expecting the world from a 40 year old past it Messi. Ungrateful people.

[@markmywords3817]

​@@bhvillaman4401if he was not gonna play, then how about not advertising he was gonna play at all? Let's be honest here, the sales were largely driven by false advertising and whatever product it may be, maybe you shouldn't sell something you werent gonna deliver in the first place.

[@BentleyVB]

And that’s why idolizing athletes will just let you down.

[@ahmedelbaradie7415]

What did he even do bro its the club and beckham(the prisedent)

[@MarkLearns]

or anyone, you could say

[@sharpasacueball]

Add every other celebrity to that as well.

[@Daniel_0778]

Nahh it actually you should idolizing the right athelete not the hobbit🥱

[@duncanself5111]

Yeah exactly. Idolising people or obsessing over things just leads to disappoint and unhappiness in your life

[@ScLmg]

It doesn't matter if he doesn't play, but as the captain, after the game, he didn't even want to accept the award and take a photo and hid behind him. So why is this?

[@jtomyhope575]

Probably because you all booed him and yelled angrily? Why would he do anything for such selfish fans?

[@ViperDivinity]

@@jtomyhope575 because people payed royals to attend that match to see their idol play. But all you get was this.... Stop dickriding

[@annapelczer2740]

But you see how strong respect can be, cause nobody was throwing shirts with his name on. RESPECT

[@nathanmerritt1581]

First it was Ronaldo in South Korea, now it's Messi's turn in Hong Kong.

[@Vladimirputin11111]

Messi was injured Ronaldo wasn’t... That's the difference....I was talking about South Korea visit in 2018....

[@MMLL369]

@@Vladimirputin11111Hong Kong folks are generally easy going, every a short speech on-site would have calmed down the fiasco; was his "injury" affecting his ability to speak?

[@gmanlee575]

@MMLL36 Hes a footballer not a preacher, cant play due to injury simple as that

[@aa6eheia156]

​@@MMLL369 they can't understand Spanish

[@Superpooper-2020]

Pessi is finished just like we 3rd w0rld inddians

[@lift4zyzz584]

This is why you shouldn't idolize athletes or anyone for that matter. You're only gonna set yourself up for disappointment

[@ahmedelbaradie7415]

He did nothing wrong its the club fault

[@timetraveller2300]

@@ahmedelbaradie7415 they are fans of him not the club. he should at least say something to the fans. they were there for him only.

[@taiwansocal3121]

Vote your displeasure against Messi by boycotting Addidas

[@simonyang79]

Messi injured but play very well in Japan only after two days😂😂

[@AbA-wk7yp]

Messi just showed his true self to the world.

[@aynrandom3004]

What a messi situation.

[@Dj0Earworm]

One flight, doing nothing and making a lot of money.

[@user-zw6ud5nk4t]

i spent 3000 dollars to come to hk and see him sitting off the field👎

[@vegasboy5931]

@@user-zw6ud5nk4tCry about it

[@talalala420]

​@@user-zw6ud5nk4trip 😢

[@drragongaming6494]

Messi'ah⚽❤️‍🔥

[@RNLittorio]

his attitude of not even acknoledging the fans or clapping shows how poor his manners are

[@Kash-is-King]

Argentina is also a poor country compared to most countries in East Asia... Don't forget the country has defaulted on its sovereign debt nine times, including three times during the past two decades

[@mahabaron388]

Says the low life anime profile pic

[@abhinavg-----9434]

People like you just want an opportunity to judge (mainly degrade) someone's character huh

[@RNLittorio]

@@abhinavg-----9434 it was all live on tv. Just watch the news

[@raunaqchandak7363]

He's Argentinian. They have no manners lol

[@maneil9297]

Well, the contract says he needs to play at least 45 mins unless injury, so was he really injured?

[@user-dx4iw1vh7g]

He played in Japan two days later! ! !He said he was injured on the platform in China.But why is it getting better so fast?

[@lyricsking754]

Cant blame the fans. Being lied to will have a massive backlash.

[@jtomyhope575]

So what will happen when the Chinese realize that the CCP has been lying to them their entire lives?

[@bczed]

I had a friend that spent almost 5000 hkd on this match just to watch messi. He was really really mad and I felt really bad for him

[@LucasSanchez]

I would be mad too. But he should be mad at the organisers, not Messi. It wasn't his decision

[@epicenter6213]

@@LucasSanchez he didnt even bother stand up and go around greet fans, guess his throat is injured too?

[@user-ih4vy8ty5h]

hahahahaahhahahahaahhaahahahhaha

[@rangershark10]

​@@user-ih4vy8ty5hyou ok?😅

[@DULENSHK]

@@LucasSanchezyeah, Messi is a handicap who can’t even smile and greeting his fans.

[@lMaxe69]

This is a very valid point, I side with the fans for this one

[@jackcc429]

He didnt bothered to wave to the fans and just walked away.

[@nox12]

@@jackcc429 he waved and smiled in a whole training session for 40k fans even though he wasn't fit enough to join training. Looks like people are trying to take advantage of the situation to vilify messi

[@monkeyaround2066]

Messi is the legend - completely dodged being used for Hong Kong as a propaganda poster.

[@nothingbutpain863]

@@monkeyaround2066, basically, he slapped Hong Kong and China Communist hard this time!

[@ggaryng]

The little boy is so mature! Messi zzzz

[@Relax0kay]

Messi ignored the crowd aswell

[@user-rh2hm2wj8l]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5vGoJKErbF1ldUsi=eyrrM5YCPVWv7HvU

[@Aircanadien]

I also watched and I was very sad to see him not go on.I got his jersey and towel but he did not play😢.

[@ngjeremy8062]

I think Messi has full body injuries, including his throat, his face. Cant even speak a word or give people a smile.

[@Yoseph-tr5bx]

Why should he speak wasn't it was clear he was injured, what more does he has to add to that fact? If he wasn't injured he would've been in the wrong but you guys are just wild for no reason.

[@thesuper2454]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@thesuper2454]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@thesuper2454]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@BenFc356]

@@Yoseph-tr5bx maybe waddle over to the microphone oh I don’t know maybe a week in advance and tell people your not going to play, unless he has an injury in his throat or face then anything else is a scam by this plastic team

[@damienrey8216]

I'll be mad too if my chicken nuggets had no chicken

[@MrM-69]

Better not go to MacDonalds

[@user-td7rd5dx1j]

Haha😂😂😂

[@bhvillaman4401]

I know they were Chinese but that's a very American attitude to be ungrateful like that. It's more disrespectful to the other players on the pitch more than anything. If you wanted to watch Messi play you should've gone to see him in his prime. Or if these fans did any actual research they'd of realised there was probably only a 20% chance of him playing anyway due to previous games he'd featured in

[@KingAdjust]

​@@bhvillaman4401🇺🇲 ungrateful? 🤡

[@svenshrempf]

​​@@bhvillaman4401 shut up, brain dead kid

[@SmilingApron-zt2yi]

Aww this is so bad as a Messi fan 😢My Respect to thise fans who got disappointed

[@chaosmecha5423]

Now I know why [HOPE] is in Pandora's box, because once [HOPE] is destroyed, the [DESPAIR / ANGER], negative emotions in general you felt will be even worse.

[@v-ia]

what a shame. but yeah, that's predatory marketing for you

[@user-zk7rb1cy7x]

It was once in a lifetime opportunity for most of us. I saw messi in discomfort as I attended both training session and match too. Organizers were constantly reminding everybody that fans will see messi and suarez play. From the breaking news of miami coming to hk to beggining of the traning session , beginning of match and even in half time. This was such a scam. Messi's face was used in literally everwhere anywhere.The most annoying thing is there will be no charges against inter miami or organizers and saddest part is we will never ever see messi play live.😢

[@bhvillaman4401]

If you wanted to see Messi play you should've gone to Barca in his prime or actually realised the genuine chance of him playing due to previous games he'd featured in for Miami. It's not a scam you just drew the short straw today.

[@Genshank-Impact]

This is not the first time, eh? ask our friends in Indonesia and Singapore... 😂

[@adiantama]

We feel you.. (Indonesia vs Argentina)

[@app1023]

Look at Messi's attitude toward his fans who spent their time and life savings to watch him. He didn't even smile, or wave to them. What a crude human. Shame on him!

[@Macario_Sakay]

6-0 be like😅

[@uguarte606]

he waved and smiled in a whole training session for 40k fans even though he wasn't fit enough to join training. Looks like all ronaldo fanboys are trying to take advantage of the situation to vilify messi

[@gavyndadog9498]

your just a hater but ok, i mean they were booing

[@MilfxHunter782]

They were right to boo Messi was very rude . Should have a done fan meet up

[@_ToTheCounTrY]

Shame on you. Fake fans how could a human wave and smile for 24*7?

[@sdaiwepm]

2:11 That kid is so mature, so well-spoken - he's going places!

[@cathode5115]

Why are you so easily impressed lol

[@sdaiwepm]

@@cathode5115 what an insightful comment! I’m sure you too are doing great things with your life. Not.

[@JessieYipman]

You are right, he already knew that he wouldn't play too much.

[@deadboltzz5199]

​@@JessieYipmancommon football knowledge but we get it you see all these tiktok kids so if a kid does something different from the cringe you see it's considered impressive.

[@JessieYipman]

@@deadboltzz5199 Why do you already suppose that he's a TikTok kid? And I don't know if it's impressive but he seems like he is following inter Miami. Not like the others "fans" that didn't consider that he probably won't play too much

[@edmondVerboseLogging]

he had injury and he can't play, I can understand, but not waving hand to his fans? or he suffer hand injury, too?

[@kewtheii6764]

If messi truly isn’t guilty, he should issue a statement of apology or at the very least, recognition for the poor fans.

[@Kiyoone]

nah, his handlers will blame his "condition" (the autism spectrum etc)

[@hazeltongco3778]

according to the people who were there, he did not even smile or say Hi to his fans. Don't expect his apology. He's far from being humble. He was propbably still mad from losing to Al Nassr that he couldn't bring himself to even smile.

[@Becuaseofme]

​@@hazeltongco3778 Why tf would he be mad losing to al nassr 😂 it was a friendly and he only played from the 83rd min

[@ahmedelbaradie7415]

​@@Kiyoone He doesnt have autism

[@user-rk2yy4vw9o]

@@hazeltongco3778 He looked like he didnt even want to be in hk

[@AliceL-yr6zg]

评论区的真是要笑死我了，说什么梅西塌房了，你有真正了解过梅西吗？ 知道梅西一生拿过多少成就吗，拿过多少冠军 你们不要把一个人的成就和他的人品相比，因为两者没有可比性，成就固然重要，但人品更重要 对此我想说 哟西只是想回他的故乡打球了，他有什么错 哲科，到！ 奥里吉，到！ 维纳尔杜姆，到！ 穆勒，到！ 姆巴佩，到！ 格策，到！ 梅西， はい！ 🇨🇳:没西 🇯🇵:有西

[@user-rp4kp1ou3b]

呦西😂

[@encorefootball]

Messi is a legend 💙🩵🤍

[@billylau7360]

Some of you guys think Messi is injured, then let’s see whether he will play in Japan

[@jasonrosete490]

Yes he will. He respects Japan.

[@Qwuiet]

He played 30 minutes. 😂 😡

[@t0t0-wb1bt]

It's just that Hong Kong is hated by him😂

[@raymond878]

Messi Messi became messy messy in HK from this event. Totally understand the fans got super upset with such ridiculous expensive ticket.

[@eurobeat_enjoyer]

Imagine pay a expensive ticket just to watch Messu from a mile. They would do better if they watched him in TV 😂😂

[@akablingbling4630]

Who set the price so high? The organizers are the ones to be blamed and followed with false advertising and lack of communication.

[@QIBUSTORE]

It's not just Hong Kong

[@yy6763]

The point here is - Was messy required to play ? Didn’t his contract not say he has to play certain minutes unless injured? But … ( 1) was Messy injured? (2) why no interaction with fans . (3) why no announcements? (4) why did Messy make his announcement in Japan? (5) Messy used to smile a lot, what happened to him in HK that kept him smileless? Messi wasn’t like this in other countries? Just why? Was this solely to upset HK?

[@sosososososo4148]

We had similar incident with Ronaldo in S.Korea when he was playing for Juventus. Thankfully he rewarded more than all the debts during the last WC 😂

[@network-nub6687]

Lesson learned: Don't go buy tickets if a famous team comes to play preseason friendlies with your local team. Chances are, they won't put their star players on the line-up XD

[@gwnifer3355]

Indonesian here, they did this to us countless times

[@taiwansocal3121]

Vote your displeasure against Messi by boycotting Addidas

[@kradfreedom9624]

This reminds me of an incident here in the Philippines where the organizers marketed an event where famous NBa players will play an exhibition game with our National Basketball team only to find out they will just do warm up routine, no exhibition game whatsoever so the audience disappointment was heared in every corner of the stadium and most of them asking for refund as well.

[@ultramax6442]

when was that?

[@dennistang6459]

That was a scam too. Did they refund the tickets at very least?

[@superz12095]

My friend was there with my friend we are so sad

[@superz12095]

We were

[@Phobe.Tracker]

the tickets were 500$, 640$, 1000$ and mostly 5000$... I paid a 1000.. and messi didnt even get on the field for 2 minutes. this is insane, when he was asked for the meet and greet with the fans also, he rejected.. he was standing alone in the pitch talking to some woman. I really want the refund for the frfiendly match

[@JIMMY-nz1ld]

Fans traveled 12hours flights from mainland China to see Messi play and........... I can feel the anger from the fans. I am not a football fan.

[@Football__king.09211]

Messi is going to China in march so they will have the opportunity to see him

[@eurobeat_enjoyer]

That's what you got when you are too obsessed with these clowns

[@MINHONG-co7sn]

well said@@eurobeat_enjoyer

[@MINHONG-co7sn]

i hope he never come to china , not welcome@@Football__king.09211

[@joezhou5765]

​@@Football__king.09211The disrespect for Hong Kong fans has affected mainland Chinese fans' view of Messi. After all, they are of the same race, Chinese felt the same feeling with hongkongese at this time.

[@pbworld7858]

What a messi this turned out to be.

[@clashcon11]

I see what u did there, Sir.

[@chintanhegde1910]

Pun intended

[@leealex24]

Hey, they get to see him. Just not see him play. Lol

[@hi_lol1912]

Ee

[@bhvillaman4401]

​@@leealex24they should've gone to Barca in his prime if they wanted to see Messi

[@awhdt857]

As such a big public figure, Messi really made a bad move in HK. Regardless of the reason, he shouldn't have been black faced from the time he landed. You don't disrespect the place you were paid a lot of money to be played and disappoint your fans / supporters!! How can you don't play, act like you don't care and don't even explain yourself to your fans. Poor handling. Proves that he's just thinking about himself. His fans means nothing to him! He has so much money already he doesn't care anymore!!

[@cjackie2390]

Messi, You have to know the fact that being a great football star in the world, you should perform the right attitude to the fans who like you a lot, should act friendly and be generous. They make efforts spending time to join this match is only for their idol - YOU. The audiences not only come from Hong Kong, they come from everywhere. In my perspective, it's not about the money, it's about how you act respectful to the event and audiences. if you can't play in the field, should make an announcement in advance to show why you can't do it. Or even, you can just say hello to them, we are friendly. Being an adult, i think you should be mature enough. You made thousands of people disappointed. It's about personality and responsibility. Some are still defending your behaviour, however, you lost your reputation of being a great football star. - A citizen from Hong Kong

[@pranayakhadka3507]

This is no poor communication it is a marketing strategy to entice the people to come and watch the game despite the high ticket price

[@teddy1589]

This is a very bad strategy then because that organization can only scam people once. No one will trust them in the future. There is no forward thinking at all. I guess a lot of people knew Messi was injured, but still hoped that he could play a few minutes. If there was no intention of that, the organization should have announced it beforehand. I thought the crowd was pretty controlled, to be honest. They could have done a lot more "damage" than just booing and kicked off Messi's picture "head".

[@johnnyenglish822]

That's a bad move. If you release a poster with Messi on it, that means he is expected to be in the game. People assume this, so they buy tickets at their own expense. If he isn't going to be part of the game due to injury or whatever excuse he has, they can at least report that before the actual match happens. Let's be real, no one wants to see anyone but Messi, and those Miami teams are not popular among Hong Kongers. It's their opportunity to shine by making use of Messi's fame, but didn't do so. Instead, they harmed their team's reputation. If they can pull this off in Hong Kong, you can be sure to expect them to do it in another country.

[@eddiewong9272]

Just saw it on TV, Lionel Messi said he wants to comeback and play in HK. He probably don’t understand that “fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me”.

[@jtomyhope575]

Lol you say that, but the truth it, Chinese fans will still go and pay to see him. 10,000 fans are mad he didn't wave to them? Fine. Out of 1.5 billion people in China, another 10,000 will absolutely pay. Messi is still more famous than any Chinese athlete ever will be 😂

[@Goodfellow1234567]

@@jtomyhope575. Messi is more famous than Yao Ming? Messy will retire soon, he will never has another chance to step on a football field in china/HK again.

[@leoguarknight1588]

Messi is FAR more famous than Yao Ming, even at his peak, get a grip please. The sport is more popular and he is a much bigger star in it. What planet are you on LOL@@Goodfellow1234567

[@jtomyhope575]

@@Goodfellow1234567 Who's Yao Ming? Messy literally does not care if he ever goes to China or HK again. Why should he? There are much better countries to play, and he has plenty of options. Seriously, how arrogant you are. China is a corrupted and polluted country. Messi is better never going back again.

[@weijiekoay3111]

china already cancelled march competition messi in hang zhou, he cant step in china again

[@Hincha.del.Futbol_2014]

viva mi Ídolo lionel messi desde filipinas..... 🇵🇭💓🇦🇷🥺☝🏻

[@romanchristopher4830]

Same as argentina vs indonesia friendly match, all the posters showing messi. But the even worse, messi didn't come to indonesia at the match

[@Mickey2088]

Inter Miami and Messi did not respect the fans.

[@kowl6708]

fans ? from HK ??? ha ha ha !

[@MMLL369]

There is already a firesale on their merchandises.

[@leealex24]

Hey, they get to see him. Just not see him play. Lol

[@noobienew9117]

@kowl6708 shut up la your fanbase not even 2 people and mien 40k

[@sabrevni9866]

@@MMLL369 if you really have dumped him as a fan, burn the merchandise you bought supporting him

[@blackvq3759]

Lucky not in America it be a rioting on the street not just a kick to poster🤬

[@01tk69]

That's what I'm going to say. 😅

[@alexflame9383]

Lucky not in France 💀💀

[@Kiyoone]

Imagine if it was in ARGENTINA? 🤣

[@noobienew9117]

lucky not in north korea if kim jon un came here just to not see messi,he would send the nukes

[@alexflame9383]

@@noobienew9117 Bro you do not live in north korea 💀💀

[@ericli5931]

I watched Messi play in Beijing this summer, because Im not a huge soccer fan and I got the ticket for free, so I dont really care if he played or nah because I can also watch Martinez, Di Maria, De Paul.... as the Agentina national team. This is unacceptable that people paying that much money just to watch some Miami nobody, ngl I would be mad asf too.

[@sophonblock76]

at first i thought it was not Messi fault but an organizational fault. but his negligence to connect and create sympathy with the Hong Kong fans is definitely his fault. a smile and a wave to the fans is not much too ask from a multimillion dollar earning player. this was not a real match but an exhibition match which basically is just a fan.meeting but now without the meeting, so ofcourse fan.s are dissapointed...

[@cutiepetslover520]

then he played in Japan and show his smile to his Japan fans😂😂😂, what a magical recovery of body and mental, now i understand why Paris fans don't like him, full of hypocrisy.😅😅😅

[@thomasbbg7379]

Come on guys,show some respect to the Hong Kong fans. We all know Messi is injured but how on earth he subs in the Al Naser game while he not even in the squad? People keep saying Messi was not in the squad yesterday but it was just what the Inter Miami official said online, the fact is he was listed on the squad showed inside the stadium. Also, even if he was really injured badly, he could still say something to the fans, sign some shirts, or just lifting the trophy, but none of them were done by Messi. It is obviously just a scam from the organiser and the Inter Miami team, really shame for all these people.

[@ghost4thaghost941]

💯💯💯 correct

[@susannamadra8017]

Can’t agree with you more

[@febrian6933]

Didn't you heard Messi had injuries? He had injuries all over his body. His throat, his tongue, his mouth, his leg, his hand.....everything.

[@namfingerstyle8403]

Penaldo did the same to Korea 2018🤫

[@bhvillaman4401]

If you wanted to see Messi play you should've gone to Barca in his prime. Ungrateful people. Not even Miami fans why should he care about you

[@youngmasterzhi]

These sports organizations had sure left a huge Messi stain on their reputation

[@dayatkisaragi4725]

Dia memang sudah ternoda

[@keithchan6796]

“Warm heart”

[@lookman7047]

Heard that Messi then went to Japan and he played there! His injury is but an excuse not to play in Hong Kong. Messi had this long face since his arrival in Hong Kong and never once made an attempt to show appreciation towards his fans! Seems he's bought into the West's view of China and is discriminating against Hong Kong (Chinese) while in fact many of his fans from other Asian countries came and paid a lot to see him play. Didn't know he's such an Axx hxxx! 😤

[@jtomyhope575]

Messi doesn't care about politics 😂 your government's propaganda has poisoned your mind. Sadly there is no cure for Chinese arrogance.

[@lookman7047]

@@jtomyhope575 Firstly I'm NOT Chinese! Surely you're not a fan of Messi who paid a fortune to watch him play at the HK stadium only to be disappointed so badly. Seems your mind that's poisoned by your government and the biased media you read and watch. Just like Messi. Suggest you crawl out of your cave to travel the world before blindly commenting. 😏

[@user-vu3ui6cp7f]

@@jtomyhope575 It's all just guessing. Are you sure you really know him?

[@chengmunwai]

If the ticket buyers aren't refunded 200% of the paid ticket price, there is no justice in the world.

[@Jeremy-rx2mb]

Why should they be refunded, they got to see Taylor, Sunderland and Gressel play lol😂

[@sabrevni9866]

200%?

[@user-wi8fh2sf9p]

Greedy organizer should be responsible for this and not Inter Miami or Messi. Although the club takes a cut from the profit, organizers should not over promised the fans.

[@MAdDyMatt]

A Messy situation 😳

[@lauwu5860]

I love Messi since 2013, still cant believe this is real...

[@Thanks0807]

Messi, the club and the organizer do not respect fans who came from HK as well as overseas to watch the match. They do not treasure the people who support them. It is so disappointing.

[@JohnnyJohnJon83]

Glad I don’t go to these sporting events . Waste of time and money . Better of putting it towards a nice holiday .

[@easytvlogs]

Not this first time Inter Miami has done this not even the second. They keep doing this to fans and then don’t refund the money

[@facemaskdon]

quite an injury that lasted only until Messi played in Japan for 30 min just a few days later

[@t0t0-wb1bt]

It's just that Hong Kong is hated by him😂

[@creyji]

The takeaway is not to spend so much on this kinda "friendly games" but to travel to the legit league matches

[@FooBarPanda]

I feel that we now owe Messi something. In just 90 minutes he managed to unite the people in Hong Kong, and even aligned the interest between HongKongers and mainlanders. This is no easy feat but Messi proved once again that impossible is nothing. Our dear leaders in Hong Kong should thank him from the bottom of their heart.

[@intlgoh5229]

make little sense🤣

[@user-ir2ox2if2p]

@@intlgoh5229 typical chinese brain rot you cant even understand his comment 😂

[@rusticbox9908]

This should be the last time these teams should be paid to play in Hong Kong. Utter disrespect for their fans and the way it was handled. He couldn't be bothered to say a few words with the fans. Boycott these teams. What a waste of money!

[@adiguna8360]

Lionel messi is not a sportman to be respect off. His fame is nothing compare to ronaldo. The same indonesian football assosiation who pay the argentian to have friendly match to indonesia but messi rather take a vacation off. Fifa shold not make him the golden boy. its not worth it

[@RoxyThePup]

Here in America, $600 is a lot for a ticket. Can you imagine for people in China? They have to save up months for this. They should be at least offered compensation in some way whether it’s tickets refund or a ticket to another game.

[@Kiyoone]

Not really... Do you even know how much it costs to live in HK?

[@Kathyyy1218]

It’s Hong Kong not mainland China, do you know that HK is one of the most expensive cities in the world?

[@user-bi8ko7kc6h]

@@Kiyooneminimum wage in HK just above HKD$30. I’m from the UK, which is below £4 an hr.

[@user-bi8ko7kc6h]

@@Kathyyy1218according to their minimum wage it can cost up to half of their monthly salary

[@xabiermorales7781]

We are in 2024. The average salary in china is around 5-6 dolars per hour, and high tier cities even more. Not to mention HK, its quite higher that the average.

[@TonyL.09]

not to mention the fact that the ticket price is more than the avg monthly wages in china

[@blade975]

This happens very often, given that he is very exposed to the fans or due to injuries. Even when received in Argentina, an event was canceled for this same reason .

[@justfun1384]

This is not the first time it happen, y doesn't the football administrators take this thing seriously 🤦🏻

[@iamsomebodynobody]

According to the organizer's statement, it's Inter Miami CF decided not to let Messi on due to injury, whether or not it is true we will see in Japan.

[@barryallen1661]

now we know it is fake

[@Jan-sp7hv]

Jonathan wong is spitting facts. The organisers and david beckham SHOULD be ashamed.

[@intlgoh5229]

David Beckham lost control to Messi's team