(Feb 6): Hong Kong’s leader sought to blame the organiser of Inter Miami’s visit to the city for controversy over Lionel Messi’s failure to play during a much-hyped exhibition game.
“The government will continue to urge the organiser to give a detailed account of the event and actively respond to the requests of ticket holders,” Chief Executive John Lee said at his weekly press briefing. Inter Miami was second on his agenda after national security legislation.
Tatler Asia on Monday chose to forfeit HK$16 million (RM9.74 million) worth of government funding for the multi-day event, which included a separate training session. Chief executive officer Michel Lamuniere blamed Inter Miami for what transpired, saying the organiser was told Messi was fit to play at the start of the game. When it became clear he wouldn’t join the game, the team ignored requests for Messi to address fans, Lamuniere said.
Football fans paid as much as HK$4,880 for seats at the sold-out game, which saw the 38,000-strong crowd boo Inter Miami and their co-founder David Beckham. The government received nearly 300 complaints about the match, said Lee, who presided over the awards ceremony following the final whistle.
The debacle — and the widespread media coverage it generated — has cast a pall on government efforts to showcase the city’s strengths and burnish its international image through large-scale events. Hong Kong has struggled to repair its reputation as a freewheeling Asian finance hub in the wake of a crackdown on dissent and a heavy-handed approach to Covid.
Lee said the government will learn lessons from what happened.
“Different places are competing for the hosting of major events,” he said. “We need to make sure that every step along the way things are done properly. That means clear instructions should be given and we need to make sure that these instructions or requests are clearly stipulated in the contract.”
Inter Miami left Hong Kong on Monday, with Messi failing to wave to fans as the team left for the airport, local media reported. Some in the crowd held up banners requesting refunds.
Messi, who just became Saudi Arabia’s tourism ambassador, is next scheduled to play in Japan on Wednesday when Inter Miami meet local side Vissel Kobe. It’s the final leg of their global pre-season tour that’s seen the US club only win one match — their game in Hong Kong.