After Argentina’s star footballer Lionel Messi failed to appear in Hong Kong, he was accused of a “deliberate snub.” China’s wrath

Due to an injury, Lionel Messi was unable to play in the friendly in Hong Kong.
Lionel Messi’s decision to miss Inter Miami’s exhibition match in Hong Kong has sparked intense controversy and led to outrageous claims of intentional sabotage and political motivations. The well-known Argentine football player is dealing with a barrage of negative comments from disgruntled supporters after being forced to withdraw from a friendly due to an injury.

Last Thursday, the absence of Messi infuriated the stadium patrons, who erupted in yells of “Refund!” and made disparaging gestures toward team co-owner David Beckham.
Only a few days later, Messi made an appearance in a friendly match in Japan, which fueled the flames with charges of purposeful snubs and infuriated many. Claims that Messi had intentionally singled out China following the Argentine’s game against Vissel Kobe prompted demands for an explanation and an apology from the event’s organizers.

The event’s organizers, Tatler Asia, apologized in public and offered a partial refund to unhappy ticket buyers in reaction to the growing criticism. Nevertheless, the action was insufficient to calm growing resentment and misgivings, since China’s official tabloid, Global Times, circulated conspiracy theories about evil foreign meddling intended to damage Hong Kong’s standing.
“One theory is that (Messi’s) actions have political motives, as Hong Kong intends to boost [the] economy through the event and external forces deliberately wanted to embarrass Hong Kong through this incident,” added the statement.

“Based on the way the situation has developed, it is impossible to completely rule out the possibility of this speculation.”

The government of Hong Kong expressed dismay over the alleged loss of public confidence and the failure to fulfill promises of Messi’s participation, and with tensions running high, demanded answers from the event organizers.

The Argentine player expressed his gratitude for his “bad luck” in being unable to play and expressed his desire to visit the city again. Regina Ip, a prominent government official, was unreserved in her fury, denouncing Messi’s conduct as a premeditated and determined slight to Hong Kong.

Ip said on social networking platform X that “Hong Kong people hate Messi, Inter-Miami, and the black hand behind them, for the deliberate and calculated snub to Hong Kong,” using a term that local officials frequently use to accuse hostile foreign meddling.
“His lies and hypocrisy are disgusting,” she declared.

Throughout the week, Messi’s non-attendance on the X-like Weibo platform has trended in mainland China. The football player sent a regretful message on Instagram, to which a ton of memes and sarcastic comments were posted.

Certain articles depicted Messi as an Imperial Japanese soldier, alluding to his purported preference for Japan over China.

Meanwhile, Inter Miami formally apologized to Hong Kong supporters on Thursday for Messi’s absence from the preseason game.

Miami released a statement to Reuters that read, “Despite our best efforts, we understand there has been disappointment over the absence of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in Sunday’s match and we are sorry that the two players could not participate.”

“We also acknowledge that our supporters in Hong Kong and Tatler Asia, the event promoter, were irritated by the delayed decision. We feel compelled to state that player health comes first at all times and that injuries are a regrettable element of the beautiful game.

When Messi led Argentina in a friendly encounter against Australia in Beijing in June, it was his last game in mainland China. In March, his national side will play exhibition matches in China against Ivory Coast and Nigeria, the Argentine Football Association announced.