On the evening of the 7th, Beijing time, Inter Miami and Vissel Kobe played an exhibition match in Tokyo, Japan. Messi, who has attracted much attention, came on as a substitute.
Different from the Hong Kong exhibition game, Inter Miami started almost all the main players in this game. Suarez, the star player who did not play at the time, started the game, and Alba and Busquets, who came off the bench, also started.
The game against the Hong Kong Stars of China on the evening of the 4th became the only game in which Messi was absent from Inter Miami's six exhibition games.
In that game, Messi did not appear due to injury. Many fans who came specifically for Messi were extremely disappointed and were extremely dissatisfied with the attitude after the incident.
Messi failed to play in the Hong Kong exhibition match. Photo by Hou Yu
Confrontation training before the game
It is worth mentioning that in the pre-match training on the evening of the 6th, Messi participated in confrontation training with the ball, which was only 2 days away from the exhibition match in Hong Kong.
The organizer of the Japanese exhibition game described that Messi trained with full vigor, passed and ran very briskly, and participated in the entire training session.
You can also see from the training video that Messi looks relatively relaxed and happy, chewing gum, and talking and laughing with his teammates.
Screenshot of social media of the organizer of Inter Miami’s Japan exhibition match
On the morning of the 6th, Messi also appeared alone at a press conference. As for whether he can play, he said he doesn't know yet and will check his status in training, but he feels that the situation has improved.
Regarding his absence from the previous exhibition match in Hong Kong, China, Messi responded: "I think it is unfortunate. In the first game in Saudi Arabia, I felt some discomfort in the adductor muscles. The MRI showed that it was not an injury, but I still felt discomfort. .”
"Many people came to the scene in Hong Kong and I wanted to play. It is a pity that such a thing happened in the football world. I hope I will have the opportunity to play in Hong Kong in the future." Messi said.
Data map: Messi sits on the bench during the Hong Kong exhibition match. Photo by Hou Yu
On the evening of the 7th, three minutes before the start of Inter Miami's Japanese exhibition match, Messi's Weibo account posted another response to the incident of not appearing before.
"I was unable to play in the friendly match in Hong Kong due to a groin injury. My injury was swollen and painful. Friends who know me will know that I want to give my best in every game, especially with my teammates like this. Even though they have come from afar, the fans are looking forward to seeing us healthy."
Messi social media screenshots
Messi becomes "Messy" (chaotic)
After being caught up in the turmoil, Inter Miami club president David Beckham did not go to Japan with the team, but showed up at the Asian Cup semi-final between Jordan and South Korea, looking rather haggard.
Currently, the comment section of Inter Miami's social media is filled with dissatisfaction and doubts from fans.
Some fans blasted Inter Miami as a cheating team: "No one wants to watch your game. People travel thousands of miles to watch the game just for Messi, but what did you do? You didn't say anything (Messi's absence) before the game. ?”
Some Japanese fans said: "If Messi doesn't play, you just go home."
The ticketing situation shows that until the night before the game, the tickets for the Miami Inter Japan exhibition game had not been sold out. Even the lowest-end 5,000 yen (equivalent to about 243 yuan) tickets had many remaining tickets, and only the highest-end tickets were sold. exhausted. On match day, fans can still purchase tickets on site.
Inter Miami Japan exhibition match ticket price map.
On the morning of the 7th, nearly three days after Messi missed the Hong Kong exhibition match, Hong Kong media reported that Inter Miami finally responded to the incident.
They said: "Injuries are part of the beautiful game and we must always put the health of our players first. Our aim has always been to get them on the field, which is why they were both included in the initial list submitted to the organizers before the game. . We could have ruled out these two players before the game, but we waited until the last minute with the utmost sincerity, which further emphasizes our commitment to do everything possible.”
"Ultimately both players were deemed unfit to play as medical staff stated it would be a risk to their health. Inter Miami will be keen to return to beautiful Hong Kong in the future if fans are willing to host the club again."
Data map: Messi and Inter Miami arrive in Hong Kong. Photo by Li Zhihua
The incident is still unfolding
On December 15 last year, tickets for Inter Miami’s Hong Kong exhibition match were sold out within one hour of going on sale.
On February 2, Messi and the Inter Miami team arrived in Hong Kong, and the players left the field before the ceremony was over.
On the evening of the 4th, the organizer's match list showed that Messi was the substitute. One minute before the game kicked off, Messi was not included in the game roster released by Inter Miami and ultimately did not appear.
On the 5th, the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, Yang Yunxiong, revealed that 10 minutes before the end of the game, the organizers confirmed that Messi could not play. The SAR government immediately took a series of remedial actions, such as asking the organizers whether they could find Messi in person. He explained to the fans and accepted the award on behalf of the team, but he didn't do any of it.
On the 6th, Hong Kong SAR Chief Executive Lee Ka-chiu said that the Hong Kong SAR government would urge the organizers to actively respond to the appeals of fans who purchased tickets and provide a detailed explanation of the incident.
Hong Kong Legislative Council member Fok Qi-gang said that Messi's past achievements in the football world are beyond doubt and deserve our respect. However, with the way this game was handled, I believe Hong Kong fans did not feel respected.