The timeline of Messi's trip to Hong Kong: his failure to appear detonated many controversies, and he did not apologize for responding three times in 13 days
On February 19, Beijing time, Messi spoke on his official Weibo, and next, we will review this high-profile event in chronological order from beginning to end.
Miami International Hong Kong official announcement
In November 2023, Miami International planned to start a trip to China to play against two Chinese Super League teams, but it was canceled for some reason. However, on December 8, Miami International officially announced that it will visit Hong Kong, China in February 2024 to play against the Hong Kong All-Star Team on February 4 at the Hong Kong Stadium, China. And this is also Messi's 9th personal trip to China.
On December 15, the Miami International vs Hong Kong All-Star Team match and Miami International training tickets went on sale, with public training tickets ranging from HK$580 to HK$780 and match tickets to HK$880 to HK$4880.
The president of the Hong Kong Football Association of China, Pei Junqi, said that the tournament was hosted by Tatler Asia, and the FA was responsible for providing venues and other aspects, and the appearance fee in Miami was as high as 10 million US dollars, and the deposit was 3 million US dollars. Although the tickets are expensive, Pei Junqi believes that "Messi has now become a god-level figure and has greater appeal".
On 29 November 2023, the organiser, Tatler Asia, applied to the HKSAR Government for funding for the "M" brand campaign. On January 11 this year, the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Kevin Yeung, confirmed that the event had been endorsed by the "M" brand, and the SAR government provided a subsidy of 16 million yuan to Tatler.
Landing in Hong Kong, the players did not listen to the shouts and left early
On February 2, Miami International flew directly from Riyadh to Hong Kong, China, after a 6-0 defeat to Riyadh Victory. Messi walked off the plane with his mates with his mates. Special arrangements were made by the Airport Authority of Hong Kong to hold a high-profile welcome ceremony on the tarmac. However, before the ceremony was over, the players left the field in a hurry.
The master of ceremonies hurriedly said, "Now please let me invite the next guests to the stage." Please stay on stage and don't leave, we still have a few stage processes. Actually, we still have a few guests on stage at this time, and we need the players to come back here and continue the event with us. Well, let's give them some time and get them ready. Okay, do we still have a chance to welcome them back?" However, the players were indifferent to the call of the master of ceremonies, and they did not know whether they could not understand or not hear.
Miami International didn't exit the arrival hall and left directly from the tarmac to check into The Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel. In the evening of the same day, Inter Miami held a press conference at the hotel, but Messi did not attend, coach Martino and new signing Suarez attended.
Messi participated in the love charity event and was absent from the group photo and signed autographs
On February 3, Messi participated in a charity event with Busquets and Alba. The event, organised by the Make-A-Hong Kong Wishes True Foundation, featured two seriously ill patients – Ethan, a 5-year-old child with a brain tumor, and Mintai, a 19-year-old boy with Brucell's lymphoma – who were fans of Messi and had the opportunity to meet Messi by listening to his inspirational stories and battling the disease.
Messi took a photo with them, and also signed an autograph for Ethan, a 5-year-old fan, with a smile on his face throughout the whole process. In addition, he, Sergio Busquets and Alba were pictured with retired Hong Kong athlete and six-time Paralympic gold medallist So Geun-wai, and Hong Kong, a member of the Special Olympics football team, Lee Ho-yong.
According to Pei Junqi, Talter Asia had promised to hold a signing event with Messi at the hotel. However, when he arrived, it was found that only three players were sitting there and Messi was absent. Even in the group photo, the three players were still seated, while the signed jerseys received did not have Messi's signature on them.
In the evening of the same day, Miami International held an acclimatization and warm-up training at the Hong Kong Stadium in China, and 40,000 fans came to watch the scene. Sergio Busquets and others were the first to walk into the stadium to warm up. About 10 minutes later, Messi walked out of the players' tunnel and was warmly greeted by the fans, who also waved to the fans.
Messi only participated in the lap grab and jogging sessions, and did not participate in the group confrontation, but interacted with the local young players and taught them to play. Some fans rushed into the stadium and got an autograph from Messi himself.
Messi did not play, and the organizers were inconsistent
At 16 o'clock in the afternoon of February 4th, the Miami International VS Hong Kong All-Star game began, and 40,000 fans and celebrities from all walks of life in Hong Kong came to watch the game. Upon entering the pitch, Messi smiled and waved to the fans, but he was neither wearing sneakers nor a training jacket.
In the initial submission, signed by coach Martino, Messi's name appeared on the bench. However, Inter Miami did not announce the official roster until 1 minute before the game, and as a result, Messi did not even make the bench.
In the end, Inter Miami defeated the Hong Kong All-Stars 4-1. Messi sat on the bench for the entire game and did not play for the first and only time in the entire preseason, as did Suarez. Fans were very unhappy with this, shouting in the stands for a refund.
Martino said after the game: "It was a decision made this morning. Messi has muscle inflammation and we are watching him every day and have been hoping that he will recover gradually, but the medical staff think it is very risky to let him play. ”
On February 7, Inter Miami issued a statement explaining: "The health of the players must always be the first priority. We also want to assure you that the players who represent our club always want to play and Messi didn't come on to warm up because he is still being checked. Since then, he has been considered too risky to participate in the competition. In the end, both players were deemed unavailable because the medical staff said it would pose a threat to their health. ”
Messi blackfaced after the game and refused to accept the award + speak
After the game, Messi suddenly "blackfaced": he put his hands in his pockets, his face was expressionless, he stood in the last row during the group photo, did not shake hands with Li Jiachao, did not receive the trophy as the captain, and did not speak to the fans, causing more controversy. When David Beckham, one of the owners of Inter Miami, thanked him after the game, there was a huge boo from the audience.
A spokesman for the Hong Kong SAR government said that the player Messi was not able to play in today's exhibition match, and the government and fans were also extremely disappointed with the arrangements made by the organizers, and the organizers owed the fans an explanation.
Fok Kai-gang issued a statement expressing his disappointment with the arrangements made by the organizers, believing that the organizers and Miami International need to apologize and explain to the people of Hong Kong. On the 6th, he released a long article of more than 3,000 words, once again expressing the view that Hong Kong fans are not respected by Messi, and said, "The careful arrangements we prepared for the arrival of the team have been trampled on, which is regrettable." ”
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government issued another statement late at night, saying that Messi was unable to play in the Hong Kong, China vs Miami International Exhibition Match, and failed to explain and explain in detail as soon as possible, expressing extreme disappointment. The Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Kevin Yeung Yun-hung, said that he had contacted the organizers three times to ask Messi to appear but to no avail, and proposed that Messi personally explain and accept the award, but it was also unsuccessful.
On February 5, Inter Miami left Hong Kong, arrived in Tokyo, and began their trip to Japan, where they attended a dinner that night, attended by all the players, including Messi. On February 6, Li Jiachao attended the press conference, expressing extreme disappointment that Messi failed to participate as the public expected, and asked the organizers to respond to the fans' demands, announce the content of the contract, and give the public an explanation.
Huo Qigang posted another thousand-word long article, saying that he was carefully prepared to be trampled on, the fans were not respected, and Miami International still owed Hong Kong fans an explanation and apology.
Messi explained twice, but did not apologize
On the evening of February 6, Messi participated in the press conference of Miami International against Vissel Kobe, he said that he wanted to participate in the game of Hong Kong, China, but after being tested for adductor edema, he was unwell, and finally regretted his absence, hoping to have the opportunity to go to Hong Kong in the future;
On the evening of the 7th, before the start of the Miami International vs. Kobe Victory Ship, Messi's official Chinese Weibo posted: "All fans and friends in Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, hello everyone. As I said at the press conference earlier, I was unfortunately unable to play in the friendly match in Hong Kong due to a groin injury, which was swollen and painful. Friends who know me will know that I want to give my best in every game, especially when I travel so far with my team-mates and the fans are looking forward to seeing us fit and healthy. Hopefully one day we will have the opportunity to come back and play for the fans and friends in Hong Kong. I also look forward to coming back to the mainland as soon as possible to share the joy of football with everyone. Give everyone a hug and wish everyone a prosperous Year of the Dragon in advance. ”
After three days of recovery, Messi came off the bench on the trip to Japan
Just three days apart, Messi came on as a substitute in the 60th minute of the game and played 34 minutes. After the game, he shook hands with the referees, players and other staff, and even gave his jersey to a member of the coaching staff, which caused more dissatisfaction and controversy among fans.
The most direct impact of this is that on February 9 and 10, the Hangzhou Sports Bureau and the Beijing Football Association announced that there were no plans to hold relevant matches in which Messi participated, and Argentina's trip to China in March was officially cancelled.
Subsequently, some attentive fans found that the title of CCTV's "World Football" program was changed, and the clip of Messi wearing a Barcelona jersey to celebrate a goal and holding the Hercules Cup on behalf of Argentina was replaced, and the "Weather Forecast" program also changed Messi's advertising photos.
Inconsistencies, the organizer's statement is questionable
On the evening of February 5, the organizer Tatler Asia issued a statement, saying that the agreement stipulates that Messi, Suarez and others will participate unless they are injured, and the list of players who received Martino's signature before the game also confirmed Messi's substitution, but at halftime, Miami International suddenly informed Messi that he could not play due to injury. The organizers immediately informed the Hong Kong SAR government of the news and urged the Miami International management in the second half to ask Messi to address the fans, but in the end it was to no avail.
On February 9th, Tatler Asia, the organizer of the Miami trip to Hong Kong, announced a refund plan of 50% refund, and the details of the refund arrangement will be announced until mid-March. Huo Qigang then said that he thought this refund plan was reasonable, but Messi's appearance in Japan was undoubtedly rubbing salt on the wounds of Hong Kong fans, and he still owed an explanation.
However, on February 15, Ramunier, chairman and CEO of Tatler Asia, the organizer of the Hong Kong trip, said in an interview that Messi was unavailable 15 minutes before the game, which was inconsistent with the previous organizer's statement that "it was learned at halftime". The Hong Kong Cultural and Tourism Bureau re-examined, and the SAR government did not learn that Messi would not play until the second half.
In response for the third time, Messi still did not apologize for posting a video
On February 19, Messi posted a video on his official Weibo, once again responding to the failure to play in Hong Kong, China, Messi clarified that the non-appearance was not due to political reasons or many other reasons, but because of inflammation of the adductor muscles, and from the beginning of his career, he has a very close and special fate with China, has always had special feelings for China, and sends his best wishes to all fans in China.
From the press conference of the trip to Japan on February 6, to the Weibo post on February 7, and then to the video appearance on February 19, Messi responded to this matter three times, and he was indeed more sincere than the other, but regrettably, he still did not publicly and formally apologize.