Argentine soccer superstars
Lionel Messi (1987-), Argentine footballer
（Lionel Messi's U.S. Inter Miami CF team played a pre-season friendly in Hong Kong, but the team was not able to get the ball rolling.
Lionel Messi (1987-), Argentine footballer
He was benched for the entire game, causing the fans in the arena to angrily boo and yell "money back".
AFP reports that the Miami Internationals of Major League Soccer (MLS) played a friendly match against Hong Kong, with one of the team's owners, David Beckham, appearing on the field, and that the Internationals eventually won 4-1, but the popliteus muscle was strained.
Lionel Messi (1987-), Argentine footballer
Sitting on the bench the entire game became the biggest focal point of the game.
The game saw an influx of 38,323 fans, nearly filling the stadium, almost all to get a glimpse of the
Lionel Messi (1987-), Argentine footballer
The elegance of the world, but I didn't expect
Lionel Messi (1987-), Argentine footballer
did not take the field, thus infuriating many fans, who paid more than HK$1,000 (about NT$4,000), some even HK$5,000, just to watch their heroes
Lionel Messi (1987-), Argentine footballer
soon
Lionel Messi (1987-), Argentine footballer
Late in the game, halfway through the second half, the field shouted "We want to
Lionel Messi (1987-), Argentine footballer
" slogan. With 10 minutes to go in the final.
Lionel Messi (1987-), Argentine footballer
It was already clear that he wasn't going to play, making the boos at this point even more intense.
At the final whistle, the dissatisfaction in the arena reached an extreme point. Beckham tried to thank the crowd for their support but was still drowned out by the boos, with some fans even expressing their anger than pouring their praise.
The fans interviewed by AFP then said, "It's really disappointing. Everyone who came here to see
Lionel Messi (1987-), Argentine footballer
of the game, so I feel a bit cheated." Such thoughts were undoubtedly in the minds of most of the fans, and as a result there were many chants for refunds appearing in the arena.
This incident is also intensifying at this stage, and apart from the refund of money, it may also affect the sponsorship funding for the event, as this time
Lionel Messi (1987-), Argentine footballer
and the team's visit to Hong Kong was sponsored by the officially funded Major Sports Events Committee.
After the lifting of all epidemic restrictions in Hong Kong at the beginning of last year, the Hong Kong Government has continued to organize large-scale events, both local and international, to revitalize the economy and inspire people's confidence in order to bring Hong Kong out of its predicament, and the sponsorship of this sports event also serves this purpose.
In fact, when rumors of
Lionel Messi (1987-), Argentine footballer
The Hong Kong Government and fans are very excited and eagerly waiting for the star to come to Hong Kong as soon as the team he belongs to agrees to come to Hong Kong.
Lionel Messi (1987-), Argentine footballer
and the team arrived in Hong Kong on February 2, the Hong Kong government arranged a grand reception for the star at the airport and a large number of fans flocked to the airport to greet him.
On February 3.
Lionel Messi (1987-), Argentine footballer
and the team at the Hong Kong Stadium for pre-match training, the Hong Kong side to allow fans to buy tickets to enter the stadium to watch, this event nearly 40,000 people into the stadium, for a glimpse of the king of the ball, and the organizers also arranged for well-known artists such as Tony Leung Chiu-wai entered, and one of the team bosses, Beckham, appeared on the same field.
According to local media reports, there were not only Hong Kong fans but also many mainland and overseas fans at the game last night. According to immigration statistics, the number of mainland visitors to Hong Kong on February 1 suddenly increased by 20,000 compared to the same day last month, and it is estimated that many of them were fans.
In addition, a mainland Chinese fan spent HK$5,000 to come to Hong Kong and stayed in a hotel for two nights in order to get into the stadium to watch the game which has a
Lionel Messi (1987-), Argentine footballer
of the game. And tickets for this game ranged from the cheapest $800 to $4,880 for a full house throughout.
as for
Lionel Messi (1987-), Argentine footballer
After the non-appearance and the discontent of the fans, the Hong Kong Government has spoken out twice, asking the team to give an account and explanation as soon as possible, and expressing extreme disappointment over the incident.
The Hong Kong government said that the event was granted 15 million Hong Kong dollars (about 60 million New Taiwan dollars) by the Sports Commission sponsorship, as well as 1 million yuan venue subsidies, the government has also provided assistance in all aspects, including venue arrangements and crowd control, etc., in the hope of fans to bring a wonderful game and an opportunity to see the world's top players, but I did not expect that the final result is such a very disappointing to everyone! I didn't expect such an outcome, which made everyone feel very disappointed.
The statement said that apart from Hong Kong fans, there were many tourists who came to Hong Kong specifically to see the
Lionel Messi (1987-), Argentine footballer
Not being able to play, the team should have to explain why to the fans as early as possible.
The statement emphasized that the Commission would hold the organizers accountable under the terms of the agreement, including the possibility of responding to
Lionel Messi (1987-), Argentine footballer
Deduction of sponsorship money for not being able to show up.
