The organizer of the friendly between a
Hong Kong
team and
Inter Miami
announced today that it will return half of the ticket money after the absence of
Lionel Messi
, who missed the match due to discomfort.
Tatler Asia
, the company organizing the duel, said today in a statement that it will refund 50 percent of the ticket price after the criticism received for the Argentine's absence.
The exhibition match that pitted the Hong Kong national team against Inter Miami on Sunday was intended to be a spectacle, but it became a story of
disenchantment and widespread anger
, since the Argentine soccer legend did not even put on his boots and look at the game from the side, due to some discomfort.
The organizer, who will give details of refunds next month, also waived a subsidy he had asked for from local authorities.
For its part, the Hong Kong Government today applauded the decision and commented that the compensation “is a responsible approach that demonstrates the proactive and responsible attitude” of Tatler.
In recent days, the authorities had held continuous conversations with the organization of the event to seek "a viable solution" after the criticism received.
Messi's passage through Hong Kong, "impassive and inexpressive", according to the local press.
Photo: Peter PARKS / AFP.
The Hong Kong Consumer Council stated that as of Wednesday it had received 547 complaints for a total amount of HK$3.64 million (about US$460,000).
The Government understands that Hong Kongers are disappointed, especially because Messi could not play in the former British colony due to discomfort,
but he did play in Japan three days later.
The stage that received Messi.
Photo: Justin Chin/Bloomberg.
In recent days, Chinese fans and media have also criticized the Argentine star for his supposed
"impassive" and "expressive"
attitude during his stay in Hong Kong, while in Japan, where he played half an hour of the match on Wednesday, "he seemed like a different person." " and "greeted everyone," according to the Global Times newspaper.
Messi apologized to his Chinese fans on the
No one was saved.
The fans booed all of Inter Miami.
Photo: Peter PARKS / AFP.
Messi's club, Inter Miami, clarified for its part that it was simply "too risky" for Messi to play.
When tickets went on sale last December, fans rushed to shell out exorbitant sums, paying between 880 and 4,880 Hong Kong dollars (between 100 and 550 US dollars) to get one of the 40,000 tickets available. for the game, which was held on Sunday.
Source: EFE