China News Service, Beijing, March 18. More than a month after the incident of "Messi's absence from the Hong Kong exhibition match", Tatler Asia, the organizer of the exhibition match, finally announced the specific refund plan on the 18th.
According to the announcement, fans who purchased tickets through the official ticketing platform Klook will receive a 50% refund.
Announcement screenshot
The organizer also specifically stated that no refunds will be given for ticket handling fees, other fees or competition-related expenses, including but not limited to transportation, food and accommodation, etc.
Data map: Messi during the Hong Kong exhibition match, photographed by Hou Yu
The incident occurred because Argentine star Messi did not play in the exhibition match between Inter Miami and Hong Kong Stars held in Hong Kong on the evening of February 4. The reason was later explained to be swelling and pain in the groin injury.
On the evening of February 7, 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 that Messi missed in the 6 exhibition games of the Inter Miami team.
The organizer Tatler Asia announced on February 9 that it would provide 50% refunds to the public who purchased tickets through official channels.
Details of refund arrangements will be notified before mid-March, and we apologize to disappointed fans.
Data map: Three days after the Hong Kong exhibition match, Messi came on as a substitute in the Japanese exhibition match and performed actively.
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."
On the evening of February 7, 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.
On February 9, Tatler Asia, the organizer of the exhibition match between Inter Miami and Hong Kong Stars, issued a statement stating that it would not evade its responsibilities as an event organizer and would provide a 50% refund to the public who purchased tickets through official channels. payment.
Details of refund arrangements will be notified separately before mid-March.
On the evening of February 9, the Hangzhou Municipal Sports Bureau’s 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 it has decided to cancel the event.
On February 10, the Beijing Football Association issued the "Statement on Messi's coming to Beijing to compete."
The statement stated that many fans and netizen friends have recently asked for information about Messi coming to Beijing to compete. According to verification, Beijing currently has no plans to host related games in which Messi will participate.
Two consecutive statements mean that the way for the Argentine national team to come to China in March has been blocked.
On February 19, Messi responded again via video, reiterated that there were injuries at the time, and said: "I have special feelings for the Chinese fans and will continue to do so. I hope to see you again soon."