Messi's refusal to play in Hong Kong, China, but playing in Japan with a smile on his face, has evolved from a sports incident to a diplomatic incident. On February 12, Beijing time, Sportcal, a well-known British sports media, published an article analyzing the serious consequences of Messi's snubbing of Chinese fans.
Sportcal reported that "Miami International's Asia tour, on the one hand, is to prepare for the 2024 season of Major League Soccer games, and more importantly, to increase Miami International's influence and commercial revenue." So far, the trip to Asia has not achieved the desired results, but has backfired. ”
Sportcal also noted that "the actions of Messi and Inter Miami have caused them to lose their reputation in the world's most lucrative market, China." Since Messi is the spokesperson of Major League Soccer, his personal behavior towards China will also have a serious impact on Major League Soccer. If history is any guide, this will have a serious impact on business dealings with China. ”
Konrad Wiesel, an analyst at Sportcal, said, "Miami's use of the fickle Argentines brings a marketing appeal that few other teams can match. Using the Messi effect, Miami not only received an appearance fee, but also a large number of sales of new jerseys. But Messi's actions annoyed Chinese fans because the only reason they bought tickets was Messi. ”
"As the NBA proved back then, annoying Chinese fans will lead to a backlash in the Chinese market, losing the Chinese market also means a significant decline in revenue, and the Chinese will not easily forgive this behavior, especially since Messi played in Japan a few days later!" said Conrad Wiesel. The well-known Sino-Japanese contradictions have further expanded the influence of the Messi incident.