Fans react during the friendly soccer match between Hong Kong Team and US Inter Miami CF at the Hong Kong Stadium in Hong Kong, Feb 4, 2024. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government should insist on more rigorous regulations to ensure organizers keep their side of the deal when sponsoring major events, lawmakers said on Monday after star footballer Lionel Messi did not play in a much-anticipated friendly match at the weekend.
Legislators branded Messi’s no-show “the fraud of the century” and called for the organizer to be investigated for Messi’s failure to take to the pitch during the friendly between the Hong Kong team and Inter Miami CF.
The friendly had drawn about 40,000 fans, who paid between HK$880 ($112) and HK$4,880 a ticket and waited hours to get into the Hong Kong stadium in So Kon Po, to see the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner in action.
Lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun told China Daily that Tatler Asia should be held accountable, and it should have immediately clarified the reason behind Messi’s no-show
But due to a reported hamstring injury, Messi did not play and remained on the bench. Ten minutes before the match ended, organizer Tatler Asia confirmed to officials of the HKSAR government, which had agreed to sponsor the event for a total of HK$16 million, that Messi would not be playing.
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Officials proposed alternatives like Messi appearing in the field to interact with fans and receive the trophy but that also did not happen.
Frustrated fans demanded a refund and booed the organizer — which publishes high-society glossy magazines — as it had widely touted Messi’s appearance.
Lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun said the incident was “outrageous”, adding that it had dealt a blow to Hong Kong’s status as an events capital.
Tien told China Daily that Tatler Asia should be held accountable, and it should have immediately clarified the reason behind Messi’s no-show.
Tien demanded an explanation from the organizer, asking why Messi couldn’t come out to say greet his fans or apologize afterwards. Saying that it looked like the “fraud of the century”, Tien said the organizer, when selling the tickets, led everyone to believe that Messi was bound to play.
ALSO READ: Messi misses Miami's HK friendly as organizers face govt funding cut
“If Tatler does not refund the spectators, the Hong Kong government should permanently prohibit renting venues to this company as a warning to possible copycats,” Tien added.
Tien said that when signing contracts to sponsor events, the government should make sure that, uncontrollable factors aside, the organizers should make every effort to keep up 99 percent of their end of the deal.
Fans react during the friendly soccer match between Hong Kong Team and US Inter Miami CF at the Hong Kong Stadium in Hong Kong, Feb 4, 2024. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)
Also demanding an explanation, lawmaker Vincent Cheng Wing-shun, a member of Legislative Council’s panel on Home Affairs, Culture and Sports, who was at the game, expressed dissatisfaction over Messi’s no-show, and his failure to meet the fans or take the stage to make a speech.
Cheng said that the organizer had touted Messi’s participation while promoting the match, which had also attracted visitors from outside the city. He said the authorities should hold the organizer accountable for the saga and called for a panel to investigate the incident.
READ MORE: HK fans disappointed by Messi's no-show in friendly
Lobo Louie Hung-tak, associate head of the health and physical education department at the Education University of Hong Kong, questioned the explanation given by the organizer for Messi’s no-show, saying that Messi did not got have acute injury.
Noting that Messi didn’t use crutches and was able to walk freely, he said the athletes’ condition was not bad enough to prevent him from entering the field to say hello to the fans.
Shiu Ka-fai, lawmaker of wholesale and retail sector, said he hoped that this incident will not affect Hong Kong’s organizing future events. Shiu noted that some restaurants and retailers in Causeway Bay reflected that their business had grown by about 20 to 30 percent.
