Inter Miami sorry for Lionel Messi’s Hong Kong absence،
The organizer of a high-profile exhibition match intended to showcase Lionel Messi in Hong Kong said Friday he would offer a partial refund to fans after days of backlash in which he did not participate in the competition.
Inter Miami apologized Thursday for Messi's inability to participate in the exhibition match, a late decision the MLS club deemed necessary.
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Messi, an eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, did not warm up in front of 40,000 fans at the Hong Kong stadium on Sunday as he was assessed by medical staff who decided it was too risky for him and his teammate Luis Suárez to play. .
Organizer Tatler Asia said it was in talks with the Hong Kong government on how to resolve the issue and that details of refund arrangements would be announced by mid-March.
“We will not shirk our responsibility as organizers and that is why Tatler Asia will offer everyone who purchased tickets for the match on official channels a 50% refund,” he said .
Miami said that when it came to Messi and Suárez, they wanted to make a match-time decision and therefore offered the biggest window to allow them to be available for selection.
“Despite our best intentions, we understand that there was disappointment regarding the absence of Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez from Sunday's match and we are sorry that both players were unable to participate,” Miami said. in a statement sent to Reuters on Thursday.
“We also recognize that this late decision has caused frustration among our Hong Kong fans and the event promoter, Tatler Asia. We feel it necessary to express that injuries are an unfortunate part of the beautiful game and that the health of our players should always come first.”
Three days later, Messi, 36, came on as a substitute in the 60th minute of Inter Miami's friendly against J-League club Vissel Kobe in Tokyo, where entire blocks of seats at the stadium Japan National Stadium remained unoccupied, with only 28,614 tickets sold.
Spectators at the sold-out match in Hong Kong, which Miami won 4-1 against the local League XI, chanted “refund”, while the Hong Kong government said match organizers Tatler Asia could be faced with a reduction in their funding.
The Major Sporting Events Committee (MSEC) awarded HK$15 million ($1.92 million) for the event, as well as a HK$1 million grant for the venue, a indicated the government in a press release.
Inter Miami said it would be eager to return to Hong Kong if fans were willing to host the club again.
Players get injured in football and it's no one's fault. It's a part of the beautiful game that is cruel and has impacted our visit to Hong Kong on this occasion,” Miami said.
“As we continue to generate headlines and criticism towards various stakeholders, we felt compelled to reiterate the reality of these types of sports injuries.”
Inter Miami has won just one of six matches on its preseason tour, which stretches from El Salvador to Dallas via Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong and ends in Tokyo. His final preparation match is scheduled for February 16 in Florida against Newell's Old Boys, Messi's childhood club from Rosario, Argentina.
Information from Reuters and the Associated Press was used in this report.
