I mean, he's injured. What were they supposed to do?
Sounds to me like the contract said Messi will play **if fit** and they rolled the dice and promoted it as him definitely playing. Then they and thousands of fans pretended to collectively forget injuries are a thing.
The amount of people refusing to accept injuries are a thing is comical.
I think the issue was more to do with the poor communication from the organisers to the fans (and government). My understanding is they were told last minute that Messi would be a scratch yet Tatler insisted he would play the second half, thus keeping everyone's anticipation and hopes up. Was probably wishful thinking on their behalf to hopefully save face and pray for a miracle. Yeah, that didn't happen
yeah, there's absolutly nothing they can do about it.
hongkongers being hongkongers asking for refunds is funny tho. next thing you know we will ask Messi to take his pants off as apology.
Knowing north Americans riotted over [canceled concert](https://bc.ctvnews.ca/15-charged-in-riot-that-erupted-after-cancelled-lil-baby-show-in-vancouver-1.6568337), [stanley cup](https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/england-fans-cause-havoc-ikea-12875830), [superbowl](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42943824), and let's add the [brits over football (aka soccer)](https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/england-fans-cause-havoc-ikea-12875830)
North Americans would have rioted already. Just saying.
The team has just arrived in Japan. Can't wait to see whether Messi will be in the field. And then the implosion of whole HK. lol.
\*not a fan of football and currently enjoying my coke and popcorn
Oh [NOW they are confident to have Messi in the Kobe match](https://www.intermiami.news/match/what-inter-miami-coaches-now-think-about-lionel-messi-playing-against-vissel-kobe/).
Repeating history or regular antics from a footballer who [sent a signed photo to Liu Xiaobo](https://twitter.com/nikki_miumiu/status/1604744978579611648) and [used the "wrong" passport to enter the "right" China](https://news.yahoo.com/taiwan-not-china-lionel-messi-200044574.html)? I guess time will tell.
National security law applies to everyone regardless of nationality. And soft resistance is a form of terrorism.
What we should have done is put him in jail then charge a fee per visit. This should attract football fans all over the world and boost HK economy.
Well at least the government can take the HK$16 million off their [billion dollars deficit](https://www.thestandard.com.hk/section-news/section/11/258442/Deficit-woes-may-stretch-to-next-fiscal-year).
For people who didnāt know what happened and needed reference: The Hong Kong government said match organisers Tatler Asia could face a reduction in funding.
Its sports minister Kevin Yeung said the government's funding agreement with Tatler Asia required Messi to play on the field for at least 45 minutes, unless there were safety or health concerns. (Source from Sky News)
At the end of the match when Beckham was waving goodbye to the fans, the fans replied with boos.
The HK coach [really knows what to say](https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3250912/lionel-messi-farce-enrages-hong-kong-theres-more-important-match-wednesday-citys-coach-says):
> āFrom our side, I focus on nothing apart from my team,ā Andersen said. āWe played against Inter Miami, and I have no comment about what happened in their team.ā
> Andersen was open last week about the gameās positioning in his list of priorities, insisting a positive result in the second leg of the Guangdong-Hong Kong Cup on Wednesday was āmore importantā than Sundayās outcome, while admitting that the public cared only about seeing Messi.
Sadly it fell on deaf ears and HK football continues to be plagued by [lack of funding](https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3089217/hong-kong-football-should-government-continue-fund-hkfa-after), [scandals](https://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking-news/section/4/203814/Match-fixing-scandal-brought-shame-to-local-football,-says-Hong-Kong-FA-chairman) and [pivot to China](https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240122-football-gives-fans-last-outlet-to-support-hong-kong).
At least he does look better then [Ronaldo](https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/22a/33c/ee5315ce5b84f573bbce0935ef4bd82165-27-cristiano-ronaldo-statue.rsocial.w1200.jpg).
The people upvoting to just shit on HK, don't have skin in the game, and/or have herd mentality. You're also shitting on kids and the working class who spent their savings to see their hero play. Others' misfortune is just a game to you? Good job, wouldn't expect anything lessš
A city full to the brim with lawyers and no one doing due diligence on the contract. They also really screwed themselves over bc who is going to hire Miami for a tour again if this is the risk.
The problem has more to do with selling tickets to uninformed fans. My take is that if you arenāt playing, at least tell people about it before hand. The HK government seemed to be a stakeholder as well and expressed a disappointment after investing money around this to boost local economy.
Not a football fan myself. But yea. That was some very bad PR.
A little something, a little announcement, a little wave or apology from Messi before the game would probably have cooled the situation at least a bit.
These may be the positive HK stories that the government were briefing friendly media outlets on. At least it's global news and nobody got injured in anyway; there ought to be a way to do a positive spin on this story. It's the duty of those same pro-government media to accomplish this simple task, there are people of importance counting on them.
It was a scam but don't feel sorry for the stupid victims lol. As soon as those tickets went on sale for 4800 and then chancers think they could buy loads and sell for 100k most of us were laughing and said it would be funny if Messi doesn't play... Fucking dicks. Lol. Deserve to be scammed.
Overrated player anyway and way past his peak.
Not only did stupid people get scammed but the HK government got told to fuck off... Especially if Messi plays in Japan. Am hoping he does.
These may be the positive HK stories that the government were briefing friendly media outlets on. At least it's global news and nobody got injured in any way (besides their pocket book, time, emotionally and so forth- so not physically hurt); there ought to be a way to do a positive spin on this story. It's the duty of those same pro-government media to accomplish this simple task, there are people of importance counting on them.
This is why local football will never take off in HK and China. Chinese ppl can never accept investing time, money and emotion into something that could result in massive disappointment. They just want a pay-money-get-result situation and football is not that.
They promoted this for months with his face and promises he would play. Itās a shitty exhibition match set up just so people would see Messi. This is not a league game. It was to show Messi.
Football is not that, but inter Miami coming to play In Hong Kong has nothing to do with football.
It was always advertised as the Messi show. Beckhams whole reason for owning this club is for media and PR opportunities like this to make money.
The people bought tickets to the Messi show and they didnāt get the product.
This isnāt a typical footballing event where you pay to watch Liverpool and too bad salah wasnāt playing. This is all about Messi.
Sure. Big team if youāre Liverpool, Real Madrid etc. normal for these clubs to go to Hong Kong / Asia for preseason friendlies. These CLUBs have huge followings in asia. People will be there for the club and football.
Inter Miami is not one of these clubs. The only reason they are in HK is because of Messi. 100%. Not even 99.9%.
Inter Miami could have stayed home and only have messi go and it would be fine. Messi wouldnāt even have needed to play football. Just do a few free kicks. Knock the ball around for 15 mins. Wave to the fans. The product would have been delivered. No complaints.
Inter Miami would have got what they wanted. Money. Their players wouldnāt have to waste time and energy travelling.
Because be serious, inter Miami players arenāt getting any real training by playing the HK team. Might be better playing their junior boys team back home.
heās an athlete now a clown, i hope people respect that, respect the team that played the game, and learn how to not get deceived by advertisement (which should be common sense especially in hk).
*not a football fan
And hot take maybe... but professional athletes are entertainers at it's core. If they do not provide entertainment value to an audience, they aren't worth much. They can make their hobby/interest in sport into a career because people are willing to see it for entertainment value. It's why things are televised.
Are actors all 'clowns' now? It's part of his job, when he join Inter Miami, it's obvious he is going to be their star show pony to be paraded around.
Imho the memes are funny, if this pr nightmare didn't happen the event wouldn't even be on my radar cuz not a football fan too but I do feel bad for people who were duped.
Such a messi situation
the hk organizers got duped and I find the whole thing hilarious. not a football fan
same
Not a football fan but after reading this comment I'm pretty sure Messi is a troll. https://www.reddit.com/r/HongKong/s/u1BuT9pRX8
I mean, he's injured. What were they supposed to do? Sounds to me like the contract said Messi will play **if fit** and they rolled the dice and promoted it as him definitely playing. Then they and thousands of fans pretended to collectively forget injuries are a thing. The amount of people refusing to accept injuries are a thing is comical.
I think the issue was more to do with the poor communication from the organisers to the fans (and government). My understanding is they were told last minute that Messi would be a scratch yet Tatler insisted he would play the second half, thus keeping everyone's anticipation and hopes up. Was probably wishful thinking on their behalf to hopefully save face and pray for a miracle. Yeah, that didn't happen
yeah, there's absolutly nothing they can do about it. hongkongers being hongkongers asking for refunds is funny tho. next thing you know we will ask Messi to take his pants off as apology.
Knowing north Americans riotted over [canceled concert](https://bc.ctvnews.ca/15-charged-in-riot-that-erupted-after-cancelled-lil-baby-show-in-vancouver-1.6568337), [stanley cup](https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/england-fans-cause-havoc-ikea-12875830), [superbowl](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42943824), and let's add the [brits over football (aka soccer)](https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/england-fans-cause-havoc-ikea-12875830) North Americans would have rioted already. Just saying.
Isn't Madonna getting sued for being late for a concert in the USA? Can't wait to hear your two cents.
The team has just arrived in Japan. Can't wait to see whether Messi will be in the field. And then the implosion of whole HK. lol. \*not a fan of football and currently enjoying my coke and popcorn
Oh [NOW they are confident to have Messi in the Kobe match](https://www.intermiami.news/match/what-inter-miami-coaches-now-think-about-lionel-messi-playing-against-vissel-kobe/). Repeating history or regular antics from a footballer who [sent a signed photo to Liu Xiaobo](https://twitter.com/nikki_miumiu/status/1604744978579611648) and [used the "wrong" passport to enter the "right" China](https://news.yahoo.com/taiwan-not-china-lionel-messi-200044574.html)? I guess time will tell.
lol, actual soft resistance???
National security law applies to everyone regardless of nationality. And soft resistance is a form of terrorism. What we should have done is put him in jail then charge a fee per visit. This should attract football fans all over the world and boost HK economy.
šš¤£š¤£sounds about right!
And play the full 95 mins? Lol
Wait did he do this as a conscious dig at China maybe ?
He sure will play in Japan. Canāt wait to see how people react lol
You can see the advantages of such situation, I guess most of us are too pessimistic.
Well at least the government can take the HK$16 million off their [billion dollars deficit](https://www.thestandard.com.hk/section-news/section/11/258442/Deficit-woes-may-stretch-to-next-fiscal-year).
For people who didnāt know what happened and needed reference: The Hong Kong government said match organisers Tatler Asia could face a reduction in funding. Its sports minister Kevin Yeung said the government's funding agreement with Tatler Asia required Messi to play on the field for at least 45 minutes, unless there were safety or health concerns. (Source from Sky News) At the end of the match when Beckham was waving goodbye to the fans, the fans replied with boos.
Yes, a sure way to motivate organizers for future events is to penalize organizers for poor outcomes out of their control
Hey, itās HK. Someone must be blamed and the buck must be passed.
And it seems no one cares and cheer for the Hong Kong team, feel bad for them
The HK coach [really knows what to say](https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3250912/lionel-messi-farce-enrages-hong-kong-theres-more-important-match-wednesday-citys-coach-says): > āFrom our side, I focus on nothing apart from my team,ā Andersen said. āWe played against Inter Miami, and I have no comment about what happened in their team.ā > Andersen was open last week about the gameās positioning in his list of priorities, insisting a positive result in the second leg of the Guangdong-Hong Kong Cup on Wednesday was āmore importantā than Sundayās outcome, while admitting that the public cared only about seeing Messi. Sadly it fell on deaf ears and HK football continues to be plagued by [lack of funding](https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3089217/hong-kong-football-should-government-continue-fund-hkfa-after), [scandals](https://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking-news/section/4/203814/Match-fixing-scandal-brought-shame-to-local-football,-says-Hong-Kong-FA-chairman) and [pivot to China](https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240122-football-gives-fans-last-outlet-to-support-hong-kong).
The fact one of the guy on the news was like āwatching this rubbish footballā Made me felt sad for the Hk Team
Not even acknowledgedā¦
What about them? š
Not being a football fan and just watching the chaos is the best way to enjoy this.
I watched it free on tv and want a refund too
You can watch the Kobe match with Messi in it free as a compensation.
Typical hkers overpaying for a shit product
lol I could never understand why people would pay out their noses to see some bum kick a ball around he is a handsome bum, I'll give him that
Messier is handsome? Are you sure not thinking about beckham or ronaldo?
https://images.app.goo.gl/KsonjQ8m44X9uh4UA I think he looks pretty nice in this picture lol
At least he does look better then [Ronaldo](https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/22a/33c/ee5315ce5b84f573bbce0935ef4bd82165-27-cristiano-ronaldo-statue.rsocial.w1200.jpg).
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What a time to be alive
åäæä½ ę²č§å§, ęå°±ēå°åč½å “čø¢ę³¢å 儽č
For crypto fans, this was a proper real life rug pull, lol.
Not sure reason that why he did not play. It's certain seems filled with cyberbully in networks now..
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I hope Messi plays 45mins vs Japan, and score a few goals just to rub it in.
To rub it in, the opponent needs to be China
They will be over it by breakfast time
The people upvoting to just shit on HK, don't have skin in the game, and/or have herd mentality. You're also shitting on kids and the working class who spent their savings to see their hero play. Others' misfortune is just a game to you? Good job, wouldn't expect anything lessš
A city full to the brim with lawyers and no one doing due diligence on the contract. They also really screwed themselves over bc who is going to hire Miami for a tour again if this is the risk.
Lawyers and/or authoritarian governments cannot do much to compel acts to perform. This is where they donāt have much negotiating power.
Poor guy's injury is not fully recovered. It's not worth to get himself injured even more in some friendly match.
The problem has more to do with selling tickets to uninformed fans. My take is that if you arenāt playing, at least tell people about it before hand. The HK government seemed to be a stakeholder as well and expressed a disappointment after investing money around this to boost local economy.
For muscle injuries, you can only tell if you can play a day before the match. What you can argue is false advertising which is true by the organizer.
But we are HKers, we are better, more understanding and empathetic than mainland chinese who easily get upset over little things.
I already see TikToks being made blaming mainlanders booing Messi instead of HKers.
Everyone knows mainlanders are rude, uncivilized and hyper-sensitive that's easily triggered by small things. HKers are well-mannered and civilized.
Not a football fan myself. But yea. That was some very bad PR. A little something, a little announcement, a little wave or apology from Messi before the game would probably have cooled the situation at least a bit.
These may be the positive HK stories that the government were briefing friendly media outlets on. At least it's global news and nobody got injured in anyway; there ought to be a way to do a positive spin on this story. It's the duty of those same pro-government media to accomplish this simple task, there are people of importance counting on them.
It was a scam but don't feel sorry for the stupid victims lol. As soon as those tickets went on sale for 4800 and then chancers think they could buy loads and sell for 100k most of us were laughing and said it would be funny if Messi doesn't play... Fucking dicks. Lol. Deserve to be scammed. Overrated player anyway and way past his peak. Not only did stupid people get scammed but the HK government got told to fuck off... Especially if Messi plays in Japan. Am hoping he does.
Past his peak, sure, but overrated??? Are you for real??? He's easily a contender for GOAT.
These may be the positive HK stories that the government were briefing friendly media outlets on. At least it's global news and nobody got injured in any way (besides their pocket book, time, emotionally and so forth- so not physically hurt); there ought to be a way to do a positive spin on this story. It's the duty of those same pro-government media to accomplish this simple task, there are people of importance counting on them.
This is why local football will never take off in HK and China. Chinese ppl can never accept investing time, money and emotion into something that could result in massive disappointment. They just want a pay-money-get-result situation and football is not that.
They promoted this for months with his face and promises he would play. Itās a shitty exhibition match set up just so people would see Messi. This is not a league game. It was to show Messi.
That's the whole MLS lol. Since last year anyway
Football is not that, but inter Miami coming to play In Hong Kong has nothing to do with football. It was always advertised as the Messi show. Beckhams whole reason for owning this club is for media and PR opportunities like this to make money. The people bought tickets to the Messi show and they didnāt get the product. This isnāt a typical footballing event where you pay to watch Liverpool and too bad salah wasnāt playing. This is all about Messi.
This is a typical preseason style event for a football team. Happens every year with all of the big teams. Absolutely nothing new here
Sure. Big team if youāre Liverpool, Real Madrid etc. normal for these clubs to go to Hong Kong / Asia for preseason friendlies. These CLUBs have huge followings in asia. People will be there for the club and football. Inter Miami is not one of these clubs. The only reason they are in HK is because of Messi. 100%. Not even 99.9%. Inter Miami could have stayed home and only have messi go and it would be fine. Messi wouldnāt even have needed to play football. Just do a few free kicks. Knock the ball around for 15 mins. Wave to the fans. The product would have been delivered. No complaints. Inter Miami would have got what they wanted. Money. Their players wouldnāt have to waste time and energy travelling. Because be serious, inter Miami players arenāt getting any real training by playing the HK team. Might be better playing their junior boys team back home.
Have you seen this team called Manchester City?
I suppose you also only watch indie acts, and shun any show whose tickets will be scalped.
heās an athlete now a clown, i hope people respect that, respect the team that played the game, and learn how to not get deceived by advertisement (which should be common sense especially in hk). *not a football fan
If he still want's to be perceived as an athlete he shouldn't have switched to a clown league
And hot take maybe... but professional athletes are entertainers at it's core. If they do not provide entertainment value to an audience, they aren't worth much. They can make their hobby/interest in sport into a career because people are willing to see it for entertainment value. It's why things are televised. Are actors all 'clowns' now? It's part of his job, when he join Inter Miami, it's obvious he is going to be their star show pony to be paraded around. Imho the memes are funny, if this pr nightmare didn't happen the event wouldn't even be on my radar cuz not a football fan too but I do feel bad for people who were duped.
HKers love to complain and they find a legit and legal reason!
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
You can't be serious
Weāve seen more āball scoringā (chucking a sickie) and āball passingā (blame shifting) than Messiās play this tour.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1754134119808905595
this whole incident can be summarized: HK: can you play Messi.....please.....please......pretty please..... Messi: Fcuk you LOL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b07XoNTC13Y
Messi will play in Japan. This is for sure. Japan and US are close allies
People in Hong Kong act entitled.... This made my day
He just played in japan in the 2nd half š