Lionel Messi warmed up without playing a minute in the friendly match, making Hong Kong (China) fans angry.On February 4, the Hong Kong Government (China) expressed disappointment when Lionel Messi did not play. They warned that they could cut the sponsorship amount of more than 2 million USD to organize the match between Inter Miami and the team gathering Hong Kong stars.

Nearly 40,000 spectators packed Hong Kong Stadium hoping to witness Lionel Messi’s runs. However, they had to leave in disappointment when the Argentine superstar did not play a single minute.

“The authorities as well as the fans are extremely disappointed that Messi did not play and did not have a direct explanation as requested,” the Hong Kong Regional Government (China) announced on the night of February 4.

The match between Hong Kong Stars and Inter Miami was marked “M” by the Hong Kong Government – meaning a grand and attractive international event. Organizers of these types of events have the right to call for financial support up to millions of dollars.

Messi and Suarez did not play in the friendly match with Hong Kong Stars.

An official in the Hong Kong regional government (China) revealed: “One of the important provisions in the agreement with Tatler Asia is for Messi to participate in the match for at least 45 minutes, depending on the physical issue.” Yesterday, before the match started, Tatler Asia still confirmed that Messi would play in the second half. But when the second half started, Messi did not come on the field, we asked Tatler Asia to contact Inter Miami. to arrange for Messi to play as soon as possible. Then, they announced that Messi could not play due to injury.”

Mr. cngx said the government wanted Messi to play in the last 10 minutes, but the organizers reaffirmed that the Argentine player could not play. The authorities asked the organizers to find a solution such as letting Messi interact with fans and receive the trophy, but this request was not achieved.

According to this official, the Hong Kong Government has not paid any money as agreed. They will liaise with the organizer to evaluate the performance of the event and decide what to do with the initially pledged sponsorship money.

Event organizer Tatler Asia was very disappointed when both Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez did not appear. The organizing committee also did not receive information that these two stars did not appear on the field.

Fans in Hong Kong (China) are also angry about this. After the match, Inter Miami Club president David Beckham thanked the Hong Kong audience for their support. However, the former England captain’s words were drowned out by boos from the stands.

Coach Gerardo Martino said Inter Miami’s medical team decided not to let Messi play on the morning of the match.

“We understand the fans’ disappointment when Messi and Suarez are absent. I hope they forgive us. We also wish we could put Messi and Suarez on the field for a few minutes but the risk is too great,” Inter head coach Miami shared.