Hong Kong fans demand refund after Lionel Messi sits out game

Lionel Messi fans were left infuriated after the Argentinean soccer superstar failed to appear at an exhibition game in Hong Kong.

HONG KONG — Lionel Messi fans were infuriated after the Argentine soccer superstar failed to participate in an exhibition game in Hong Kong they had paid hundreds of dollars to see him play.

A sellout crowd of 40,000 fans attended the exhibition match Sunday between a team of top Hong Kong players and Inter Miami, the Major League Soccer club Messi joined last year. Many in the crowd wore the blue and white of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup champion national team or the pink of Inter Miami, both of which Messi captains.

Videos from Hong Kong Stadium shared with NBC News showed fans chanting “Refund!” and booing while David Beckham, a co-owner of Inter Miami, addressed the crowd after the match, which Inter Miami won 4-1.

The Hong Kong government, which has been trying to win the world back to the increasingly isolated Chinese territory, said it was “deeply disappointed” by Messi’s absence and threatened to reduce the 16 million Hong Kong dollars ($2 million) in sponsorship it had provided.

The luxury media brand Tatler Asia, the game’s commercial partner, said Monday that it would withdraw the government funding request.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/hong-kong-lionel-messi-fans-demand-refunds-soccer-game-rcna137223

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