Inter Miami CF played in Hong Kong on Sunday as a part of their international tour, however, one key player was missing on the field: global superstar Lionel Messi.

During the match at Hong Kong Stadium, Inter Miami faced-off a team of players that was hand-picked as the best from the city’s second-tier soccer league, winning 4-1. Yet, while a nearly 40,000-crowd gathered to see Messi take the field, the Argentine World Cup winner was on the bench due to a hamstring injury. The team’s newest signing, Luis Suarez, also did not participate in the game.

Fans in the crowd chanted “refund,” as many became frustrated with the team for not telling them of Messi’s injury prior to the game. In a statement, Hong Kong Government noted that a lot of tourists came to Hong Kong specifically for this match, and now, match organizer Tatler Asia needs to provide an explanation.

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“The Government, as well as all football fans, are extremely disappointed that Messi could neither play in the friendly match, nor explain to the fans in person upon request,” Hong Kong Governemnet said. “The way that the organizer and Inter Miami CF handled the situation could not meet the expectations of the fans who showed strong support to Messi, especially those visitors who came all the way here for the match.”

The government went on to note that the organizer needs to take responsibility and could face a reduction of funding, since Messi was not able to play. When tickets first went on sale in December, seats sold-out within an hour, with fans paying more than HKD 1,000 ($127 USD) for a ticket.

Tata Martino, Inter Miami’s coach, defended the decision not to play Messi due to the injury. The organizer also insisted it did not have any knowledge of Messi’s absence.

“Despite some news reports, Tatler did not have any information about the non-participation of Messi or Suarez prior to kick-off,” Tatler Hong Kong said in a statement. “Messi and Suarez were deemed unfit to play by their team’s medical department, to everyone’s, including our, disappointment.”

 

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Neither the team nor Tatler announced any information regarding refunds.

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Hong Kong was the second city Inter Miami visited on their international tour, following matches versus the Saudi Pro League’s Al-Hilal SFC and AI Nassr FC on January 29 and February 1, respectively. Next, they’ll head to Japan to take-on Vissel Kobe at Japan National Stadium.  While no additional games have been announced at this time, more international dates are set to be revealed soon.

Inter Miami has certainly been feeling the “Messi Effect” since his arrival in 2023. While the team’s fanbase was suffering at one point, season tickets for the 2024 season sold out — despite a drastic jump in price from the previous year. Miami isn’t alone either; teams have made the sale of tickets for Inter Miami games a centerpiece of their ticket pricing strategy for 2024, even when Messi’s on the visiting sideline.

The team is expected to break a revenue record for the 2024 season, surpassing $120 million. Additionally, the club is in the process of developing a soccer-specific home facility, set to open in 2025. Messi is currently signed with the team through 2025, with the option of extending the contract through 2026.