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The Football Association of Hong Kong, China
SportHong Kong

Explainer | Why did Lionel Messi not play in Hong Kong? What contract said, when government was told, news on ticket refunds

  • Argentine World Cup winner’s visit to Hong Kong with his club Inter Miami ended acrimoniously when he did not play in the US team’s match in the city
  • The Post examines who knew what and when, and what took place behind the scenes as the saga unfolded

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Lionel Messi (waving) made it to Hong Kong but left fans disappointed after not playing in a sold-out match. Photo: dpa
Tom Bell

The fallout has begun in Hong Kong after close to 40,000 fans paid to see Lionel Messi play in the city only for the Argentinian not to play.

We assess the questions being asked by football fans and the wider public.

What happened to Messi?

Messi attended the match in Hong Kong between his club Inter Miami and a local invitational team.

Lionel Messi sits on the bench during the friendly match, and that is where he remained. Photo: Sam Tsang
Lionel Messi sits on the bench during the friendly match, and that is where he remained. Photo: Sam Tsang

He was the main attraction for those who had bought tickets, priced HK$880 to HK$4,880 (US$113 to US$624), and higher still on re-sale sites. But Messi was named in the team only as a substitute, then did not play at all, watching the whole match from the sidelines.

Did Hong Kong have a contract for Messi to play?

The match’s organisers, Tatler Asia, last month implied there was no deal guaranteeing Messi would play, with CEO Michel Lamuniere saying “it’s going to be the decision of the coach to decide who is going to play and for how long” and adding: “Miami have some marquee players, and those marquee players will be on the pitch.”

At the time, a senior government source disputed this, saying there were “contract terms specifying that Messi would play in the match, save for illness or injury”.

A government source told the Post late on Sunday that the contract stipulated Messi would play for at least 45 minutes unless ill or injured.

Inter Miami said days before the Hong Kong match that Messi had a hamstring injury, and cited it afterwards as the reason he did not play.

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