Government of Hong Kong express disappointment as Inter Miami rested Messi in friendly

Inter Miami are facing backlash for resting Lionel Messi in a friendly match against the Hong Kong All Stars on Sunday. Not only did fans in attendance make their feelings clear by booing David Beckham and company, but even the Hong Kong government publicly expressed their disappointment as the Argentine star didn’t suit up in front of a 38,000 crowd.

“Regarding Messi not playing the match today, the Government, as well as all football fans, are extremely disappointed about the organiser’s arrangement. The organiser owes all football fans an explanation,“ a spokesman said, via a press release by the Government of Hong Kong.

The release also claims the friendly had been awarded an “M” mark status, which is why the government approved a funding of 15 million as well as a “grant for venue” of 1 million by The Major Sports Events Committee (MSEC), who will take follow-up actions with the organizer due to Messi’s absence, including reducing the amount of funding for the event.

The Government of Hong Kond later released another statement expressing “deep disappointment” over Messi not playing and the organizer “failing” to give a detailed explanation in advance. The authorities claim they’ve helped with a “variety” of coordination and assistance, including “venue arrangement and crowd management”, in order to fans a “wonderful” experience hoping Messi would play.

Messi watching Inter Miami’s friendly in Hong Kong on the bench.

“Many Hong Kong fans looked forward to the match with enthusiasm, and a lot of tourists came to Hong Kong particularly for the match. 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. The way that the organiser 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 statement read.

Martino apologizes to Hong Kong fans for not playing Messi, Suarez

Before their trip to Hong Kong, Messi started on the bench for Inter Miami in their Riyadh Season Cup friendly against Al-Nassr, coming on in the final 10 minutes of the 0-6 loss. This time, the 8x Ballon d’Or winner was not even among the substitutes.

But apart from the Argentine star, who’s been suffering muscle discomfort after the loss to Al-Hilal last week, the Herons also showed up without Luis Suarez due to knee inflammation.

Inter Miami coach Gerardo Martino later addressed the fans’ frustration for Messi and Luis Suarez’s absence in the highly anticipated match, apologizing for the decision while explaining it was too risky to play both stars.

“We understand the disappointment of the fans for the absence of Leo (Messi) and Luis Suarez,” Martino said. “We understand a lot of fans are very disappointed and we ask for their forgiveness. We wish we could have sent Leo and Luis on for at least a while, but the risk was too big.”

Lionel Messi of Inter Miami celebrates scoring his team’s second goal from the penalty spot with teammate Luis Suarez after during the Riyadh Season Cup match between Al Hilal and Inter Miami at Kingdom Arena on January 29, 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The best Inter Miami could offer in their 4-1 win over the Hong Kong All Stars was fielding Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba in the second half. Needless to say, that wasn’t enough to appease the 38,000 people at the Hong Kong Stadium.

Inter Miami were booed off the field, with even David Beckham receiving whistles from fans as he addressed the disgruntled spectators after the final whistle. Tatler, organizers of the event, said they had no information about Messi or Suarez not playing in this match, joining the Hong Kong government in their disappointment about Inter Miami’s decision.