Inter Miami's Lionel Messi, centre, in action against Vissel Kobe at the National Stadium in Tokyo on February 7, 2024ISSEI KATO/Reuters
Argentine soccer player Lionel Messi appears to have recuperated from a groin injury that kept him from playing in a Hong Kong exhibition match Sunday, but the damage to his reputation in China could be harder to fix.
After Messi was a no-show in Hong Kong, fans booed and demanded refunds, and this anger only increased after the Inter Miami star took part in a game against Japanese side Vissel Kobe on Wednesday, with some calling for a boycott and demanding the cancellation of coming Argentina friendlies in China.
Miami’s match in Hong Kong had been heavily promoted as featuring Messi, widely seen as one of the best footballers of his generation. Some fans spent hundreds of dollars for premium seats, while others travelled from mainland China and even as far as Australia, only to be told late in the second half that Messi would not be taking part.
Local organizers are facing an intense clamour for refunds, and have withdrawn their application for major event status, forgoing $2.7-million in government support.
The controversy might have died had Hong Kong been Miami’s final stop on the U.S. side’s Asian tour, but the decision for Messi to play in Japan has riled nationalist anger in mainland China and seen some screaming conspiracy.
“The impact of this incident has far exceeded the realm of sports,” Global Times, a state-run Chinese tabloid, said in an editorial. “The explanations from Messi and Inter Miami are not convincing, and there are many speculations about the real reasons behind it. One theory is that their actions have political motives, as Hong Kong intends to boost economy through the event and external forces deliberately wanted to embarrass Hong Kong through this incident.”
Regina Ip, a senior adviser to Hong Kong leader John Lee, also blamed unspecified outside figures for the incident.
“Hong Kong people hate Messi, Inter Miami and the black hand behind them, for the deliberate and calculated snub to Hong Kong,” Ip wrote on social media. “Messi should never be allowed to return to Hong Kong. His lies and hypocrisy are disgusting.”
She and others pointed to a video clip where Messi appears to avoid shaking hands with Lee, leaving the line of players waiting to greet Hong Kong’s top official. The Argentine is not known for being politically outspoken and has previously been criticized for “sportswashing” by agreeing to be a tourism ambassador for Saudi Arabia.
Fans react during the friendly soccer match between Hong Kong Team and US Inter Miami CF at the Hong Kong Stadium on Feb. 4, 2024. Lionel Messi's non-appearance was a disappointment for the fans.Louise Delmotte/The Associated Press
In a statement, the city’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau reiterated the government’s disappointment that Messi had not been able to play on Sunday.
“However three days later, Messi was able to play actively and freely in Japan,” it added. “The government hopes the organizers and teams can provide reasonable explanations.”
With the controversy spreading beyond Hong Kong and becoming a trending topic on the Chinese internet – where nationalist campaigns have in the past resulted in boycotts of celebrities and sports teams’ games not being broadcast – Messi intervened Wednesday in an apparent attempt to tamp down the growing anger.
In a post on social media, the Argentine said “anyone who knows me knows that I always want to play … especially in these games where we travel so far and people are excited to see our games.”
“Hopefully we can come back and play a game in Hong Kong,” the post continued in Chinese and Spanish, adding congratulations for the coming Lunar New Year.
Inter Miami also issued a statement – days after The Globe and Mail and numerous other media requested comment about Sunday’s match – saying the club had been “honoured” to visit Hong Kong and understood fans’ disappointment, reiterating that Messi’s absence was solely because of injury.
“As we continue to consume the headlines and negativity towards the different stakeholders, we felt compelled to reiterate the reality of these types of sports injuries,” spokeswoman Molly Dreska said. “Inter Miami would be eager to return to beautiful Hong Kong in the future, should the fans be open to receiving the club again.”
But as Miami headed back to the U.S. for the start of the Major League Soccer season later this month, the controversy showed no sign of dying down. Late Thursday, Messi’s name was still a top trending subject on Chinese social media, with many posts sharing rumours that upcoming friendlies between Argentina and China could be cancelled.
Some Messi fans did push back, circulating a 14-page PDF attempting to rebut criticism of the player and highlight his many achievements. But hours after it was created, an associated hashtag was overwhelmed with insults against both Messi and his supporters.