TOKYO – After disappointing a legion of fans in Hong Kong with a no-show on the pitch at the weekend, Lionel Messi left open the possibility of playing in Inter Miami’s friendly in Tokyo, saying he left “much better” than he did a few days ago.
The Argentinian’s benching for the highly anticipated match in front of a sell-out crowd at Hong Kong Stadium has turned into a public relations debacle for his Major League Soccer side and organisers of the local event.
Speaking to media for the first time since the team and their co-owner David Beckham were booed off the field, Messi said on Feb 6 it was “disappointing” that he was unable to play, citing swelling in his adductor muscle.
“In Hong Kong, we had an open-door training session and I went out because there was such a big crowd there and there was a clinic with the kids, and I wanted to be there and participate,” the 36-year-old told a press conference at a Tokyo hotel.
“But the truth is that the discomfort was still there and it was very difficult for me to play. I can understand that people were looking forward to it and I hope that there will be another opportunity for me to play in Hong Kong.”
The Inter Miami skipper, who led Argentina to a World Cup triumph in 2022, was coy about whether he would play in the Feb 7 friendly against J.League champions Vissel Kobe.
“For tomorrow, I don’t know, we’ll need to see how it goes in training today,” he added. “We still don’t know if I would be able to or not, but I feel much better than I did a few days ago and really want to be able to play.”
Messi spoke at the press conference alone after appearances by Beckham, coach Gerardo Martino and teammates Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Luis Suarez were cancelled at the last minute.
Unlike in Hong Kong, scores of tickets were still available a day before the Tokyo match, after going on sale in late December.
Tickets for the Japan leg of Miami’s globe-trotting pre-season tour are costing between 10,000 yen (S$91) and 200,000 yen with “special experience” packages priced even higher.
A crowd of nearly 40,000 in Hong Kong who paid for similarly priced tickets were involved in angry scenes, jeering and giving thumbs-down signs, after Messi stayed rooted to the bench during their 4-1 win against a local select XI.
“The government will continue to urge the organisers to give a detailed account of the event and actively respond to the requests of ticket holders,” Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said at his weekly press briefing.
It was second on his agenda, after national security legislation.
He added: “Different places are competing for the hosting of major events. We need to make sure that every step along the way, things are done properly. That means clear instructions should be given and we need to make sure that these instructions or requests are clearly stipulated in the contract.”
Organisers Tatler Asia on Feb 5 chose to forfeit HK$16 million (S$2.8 million) worth of government funding for the multi-day event, which included a separate training session.
Tatler Asia CEO Michel Lamuniere blamed Inter Miami for what transpired, saying the organiser was told Messi was fit to play at the start of the game. When it became clear he would not join the game, the team ignored requests for Messi to address fans, Lamuniere said.
REUTERS, BLOOMBERG
