Messi says HK no-show was not politically motivated in Weibo video

Argentinian football star Lionel Messi has clarified on Weibo that the political speculation of his no-show for the exhibition match between Inter Miami and the Hong Kong team is untrue.

Messi released a two-minute video on Weibo yesterday (19 February), explaining his decision to skip the friendly match with the Hong Kong team on 4 February 2024.

Don’t miss: What led to the PR debacle around Messi no-show for Inter Miami friendly?

“I have read and heard many things that were said after the game in Hong Kong,” he said. “I wanted to record this video and give you the true version so that no one has to continue reading false stories,” he explained.

Messi clarified that the rumors of him not wanting to play for political reasons and other reasons are totally untrue. “Had that been the case, I wouldn’t have even travelled to Japan or visited China as many times as I have,” he said. 

Don’t miss: Messi attributes no-show for HK friendly to ‘bad luck’

During his stay in Japan where the Miami team took part in another friendly, Messi said he had been experiencing muscle discomfort while in Saudi Arabia, just before the trip to Hong Kong. Messi emphasised once again in the video that his decision to refrain from participating in the match was primarily due to an inflamed adductor muscle.

“Since the start of my career, I’ve had a very close and special relationship with China. I’ve done a lot of things in China, interviews, games and events,” Messi said.

Messi concluded by saying that he hoped to see his Chinese fans again soon. “As always, I send good wishes to everyone in China, who I’ve always had, and continue to have, special affection for,” he said.

His Weibo post has garnered significant attention, accumulating over 47.4k likes, 50.1k comments and 25k shares. It has drawn mixed reactions among Chinese netizens.  While some expressed skepticism about Messi's sincerity in apologising, others believed in his genuine care for his Chinese fans.

This came after thousands of Lionel Messi fans expressed their anger and asked for refund after they paid HK$4,880 to watch the Argentina football star stay rooted at the bench throughout the friendly match between Inter Miami and the Hong Kong team on 4 February 2024.

Tatler Asia, the organiser of the friendly match, issued an apology on 6 February 2024, addressing the disappointment of football fans regarding the absence of Messi from Inter Miami's friendly fixture in Hong Kong. Three days later, Tatler announced a 50% refund for customers who had purchased match-day tickets through official channels.

Moreover, Hangzhou Municipal Sports Bureau (杭州市體育局) issued a statement on 9 February 2024, announcing the cancellation of the friendly match between the Argentine football team and Hangzhou next month for reasons “known by everyone”.

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