China News Service, February 10 (Xinhua) On the evening of the 9th, the Hangzhou Sports Bureau WeChat public account "Hangzhou Sports" issued a statement saying that due to currently well-known reasons, the conditions for the Argentine football team to come to Hangzhou for a friendly match in March this year are not mature and have been suspended. It was decided to cancel the event.
Image source: Screenshot of "Hangzhou Sports" WeChat public account
The statement said: "As a commercial event, a certain company negotiated with the Argentinian football team to come to Hangzhou for a friendly match in March this year. In view of currently well-known reasons, it is understood from the competent authorities that the conditions for hosting the event are not mature, and it has been decided to cancel the event. .”
In June last year, the Argentina team played a friendly match with the Australian team at the "New Workers' Stadium" in Beijing. It was the first time Argentina played abroad after winning the World Cup. In the end, Argentina defeated its opponent 2:0. Messi scored a goal in just 81 seconds of the game. According to media statistics, this is the fastest goal in Messi's career.
During that trip to China, Messi's every move received great attention. Fans packed the hotel where the Argentine team was staying, and their enthusiasm stunned journalists from Argentina. Even on the night of the game, a fan jumped from the stands and rushed into the field to hug Messi, then ran in the field and was eventually taken away by the staff.
At the end of January this year, the Argentine Football Association announced that the Argentine national team would start a trip to China in March and face Nigeria and Cote d'Ivoire respectively. Among them, the game against Nigeria will be played at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center, and the game against Cote d'Ivoire will be played at the Beijing Workers' Stadium.
The picture shows Messi after the exhibition game. Photo by China News Service reporter Hou Yu
However, those plans took a turn this month. To participate in the exhibition match against the Hong Kong Stars of China on February 4, Messi arrived in Hong Kong on February 2 with the Inter Miami team.
However, Messi did not play on the night of the game. The reason was later explained as swelling and pain in the groin injury. Many fans who came specifically for Messi were extremely disappointed, and they were also extremely dissatisfied with the attitude of Inter Miami and Messi towards this matter.
On the evening of the 7th, an exhibition match between Inter Miami and Vissel Kobe was held in Tokyo. Messi not only came on as a substitute, but also performed actively. 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.
Tatler Asia, the organizer of the exhibition match between Inter Miami and Hong Kong Stars, issued a statement on the 9th saying that it will not evade its responsibilities as an event organizer and will provide 50% refunds to the public who purchased tickets through official channels. Details of refund arrangements will be notified separately before mid-March. Tatler Asia apologizes to fans who were disappointed by the match.
On the evening of the 7th, Beijing time, Inter Miami played an exhibition match with Vissel Kobe in Tokyo, Japan. Messi, who attracted much attention, came on as a substitute in the 60th minute of the second half.
Event review
On December 15 last year, tickets for Inter Miami’s Hong Kong exhibition match were sold out within one hour of opening.
On February 2, 2024, Messi and the Inter Miami team arrived in Hong Kong, and the players left the field before the welcome ceremony was over.
On February 4, the organizer's match list showed Messi as a substitute. One minute before the opening, Messi did not appear in the game list released by Inter Miami and did not appear in the end.
On February 5, 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 organizer confirmed that Messi could not play. The SAR government immediately took a series of remedial actions, such as asking the organizer whether Messi could be contacted. Xi personally explained to the fans and accepted the award on behalf of the team, but did not do any of this.
On February 6, Hong Kong SAR Chief Executive Lee Ka-chiu stated 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.
On February 6, Hong Kong Legislative Council member Fok Qi-gang said that Messi’s past achievements in the football world are unquestionable and deserve our respect. However, with the way this game was handled, he believed that Hong Kong fans did not feel respected.
On February 6, Messi attended the press conference alone in Tokyo. He revealed that he felt discomfort in his adductor muscles during the first game in Saudi Arabia, and although an MRI showed it was not an injury, he still felt discomfort. "Many people came to the scene in Hong Kong and I wanted to play. It's a pity that something like this happened in the football world. I hope I will have the opportunity to play in Hong Kong in the future."
On February 7, 3 minutes before the start of Inter Miami’s Japan exhibition match, Messi’s Weibo account posted, “I was unable to play in the friendly match in Hong Kong due to a groin injury. My injury was swollen and painful. Understood. My friends will know that I want to give it my all in every game, especially being away from home with my teammates, and the fans are looking forward to seeing us healthy."