With the full support of the Hong Kong SAR Government, the event organizers not only received a matching grant of about HK$16 million and venue subsidies, but also sold out the tickets during the one-month warm-up period! Some fans even traveled thousands of miles from Xinjiang to catch a glimpse of Lionel Messi. This series of efforts by the SAR Government is aimed at meeting the expectations of the people of Hong Kong and the fans on site, as well as the satisfaction of the "King" himself. However, from the moment the Miami Internationals and Messi arrived in Hong Kong, the atmosphere became subtle: exclamations of "MoMo" filled the air.
Fok disclosed on social media that after the Miami International team arrived in Hong Kong, in the face of a grand welcoming ceremony, the players left in a hurry and quickly boarded a bus, turning a deaf ear to the call of the host of the ceremony. This made many guests feel embarrassed, Fok Qigang even used "dignity was harshly trampled" to describe this scene.
The Hong Kong showpiece was equally disappointing. Messi sat quietly on a bench for 90 minutes in his jacket. Fok revealed that the director of the Hong Kong Cultural and Tourism Bureau had repeatedly coordinated with the organizers during the game for Messi to play, but was refused by the coaching staff of the Miami International team, which is far from the negotiation between the SAR Government and the organizers that "Messi will need to be on the field for at least 45 minutes unless there is a safety or health issue".
If Messi's non-appearance is disrespectful to the fans, his behavior after the match is even more "insulting". Originally, it was agreed that Messi would speak as captain to receive the award, but he not only refused to speak, but also refused to receive the award, and even bypassed the crowd and refused to shake hands with the Chief Executive of Hong Kong. This is the same as the previous welcome ceremony at the airport. As Fok said, fans can understand if the players are injured. But in the face of thousands of fans and the Hong Kong Chief Executive, they should at least maintain the most basic respect. Be aware that this is a public performance match. If they cannot take the field, can they take their pants?
Miami International claimed that "Messi was injured and could not play". However, from the moment Messi arrived in Japan, things began to reverse. The first to do so was Messi himself. In the press conference before the friendly match in Japan, he personally admitted that he was "not injured, just not feeling well", and then underwent an MRI, which showed no injury, but he still refused to appear in the Hong Kong leg.
This claim was clearly a "flub", followed by an "operation of God". Messi posted a "letter of explanation" on Chinese social media, saying that he was unable to participate in the Hong Kong friendly due to pain from a swollen groin and that he looked forward to the opportunity to play for Hong Kong fans in the future! Interestingly, the IP address of his Chinese social media account is listed as Sichuan, which is obviously not written by him.
On February 7, before the exhibition match in Tokyo, Japan, all Chinese soccer fans were concerned about whether Lionel Messi would play or not. As a result, Messi not only came on as a substitute, but also played 30 minutes, very different from the Hong Kong station's "injured" image. Japanese media revealed that Messi in the training before the game, passing, running, shooting are very relaxed, but also with teammates laughing and joking. This angered the Hong Kong SAR Government, Fok Kai-kong once again issued a letter demanding Messi to explain to the people of Hong Kong and apologize.
Today, it no longer matters whether Messi is injured or not. It is baffling that in all his travels to Asia, he only missed the Hong Kong leg in six matches! If he is really injured, he should show basic respect and etiquette since he came to Asia to play a friendly match. After all, many fans traveled thousands of miles and spent a lot of money to watch the matches. In the entire trip to Hong Kong, Messi all the way "black face", remain silent, has nothing to do with whether the injury. As a result, he was completely banned from China less than 24 hours after the Japan race.
Soccer media personality Xu Yi and Northwestern Watch reporter Xu Zexin simultaneously reported that the Argentina men's national soccer team's China tour, which will take place in March 2024, has essentially been announced as canceled. Xu Zexin also revealed that under the current circumstances, news and official announcements of contract cancellations from many of the brands associated with Argentina's China trip will be coming one after another.
The Chinese Football Association (CFA) has also stepped in. Northwestern reporter Xu Zexin reported that the CFA announced the suspension of cooperation with the Argentine Football Association, including the Argentine national team. This news reveals two things: first, that the Argentine FA is behind Messi's absence from Hong Kong; and second, that the Argentine national team has decided to cancel its trip to China in March. More importantly, Xu Zexin revealed that all news about Messi was removed from the CFA's official webpage, and the "King of the Ball" Messi was completely blocked!
As I said at the beginning, Messi's problems go beyond the sport itself. In fact, many of them have risen to the level of China and the nation. It's safe to assume that since the 36-year-old Messi has chosen to be "cold and pro-Japanese," he'll be looking for more favors in his quest for advice. In the next few days, I'll reveal them one by one.
