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Hong Kong
CNN
—
For Lionel Messi, it should have been a few minutes of easy work.
But the Argentine soccer idol’s failure to leave the substitutes’ bench in a routine preseason exhibition match has unleashed an unexpected public relations nightmare in one of the world’s most lucrative sports markets where, until now, he had enjoyed widespread popularity.
The public backlash in China began Sunday when Messi didn’t appear for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami while in Hong Kong – and ramped up when he joined the team’s game in Japan just days later.
Messi, who was declared unfit to play in Hong Kong, came on as a 60th minute substitute against Vissel Kobe in Tokyo on Wednesday – an appearance that seemed to energize his teammates before they lost on penalty kicks.
Across social media in mainland China, scathing commentary on Messi was a dominant topic. One widely circulated video appears to show a blogger chopping up his collection of Messi jerseys with a pair of scissors.
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03:03
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CNN
Many on Chinese social media platform Weibo questioned how the star was able to make such a quick recovery three days after the Hong Kong game. The sarcastic hashtag “medical miracle” trended high with more than 1.3 million views.
Others lashed out against what they saw as disrespect for Hong Kong – and China.
“Messi must give Chinese fans and the Chinese people an explanation,” one user wrote in a comment liked 59,000 times.
“(He) played in five of the six preseason games and only missed the game in Hong Kong, China! Don’t come to China, China doesn’t welcome you,” another user wrote in a post liked by 20,000 others.
The backlash facing Messi, who has a huge fanbase in China, follows a litany of instances where foreign celebrities or brands have sparked ire in the country for perceived affronts.
The incident also comes as Hong Kong attempts to burnish its image as an international hub – even as it has come under increasing influence from mainland China, with Beijing tightening its control of the city and its government following mass pro-democracy protests in 2019.
And it highlights both the political and financial risks major brands can face in the midst of such a backlash.
As public – and official – anger mounted throughout the week, Hong Kong match organizer Tatler XFEST announced on Friday that it would refund 50% of the ticket price for fans, a move it said would cost the company $7.1 million and leave it facing nearly $5.5 million in losses.
“We have invested millions of dollars and months of hard work into bringing a world-class event to Hong Kong, the city that is our home and where we have been headquartered for more than 45 years,” the company, which publishes multiple Tatler branded magazines across Asia, said in their statement.
“Our aspiration was to create an iconic moment in support of the government’s efforts to remind the world how relevant and exciting Hong Kong is. That dream is broken today for us and all those who bought tickets to see Messi on the pitch,” the company added.
After the Hong Kong game, frustration and disappointment from fans in the city ballooned into outrage across mainland China, as influential voices like Hong Kong lawmaker Kenneth Fok and mainland Chinese political pundit Hu Xijin condemned the behavior of the player and the team.
“Why didn’t Messi play in Hong Kong or participate in the handshake with HK (the Hong Kong) chief executive? And why did he smile, run freely and looked fit in Japan?” Hu wrote on social platform X, referring to a moment during Sunday’s post-match trophy ceremony, as he called for an “explanation and apology.”
The location of the match appeared to add a sting for many – given historic animosity and modern-day frictions between China and Japan.
State-affiliated Global Times took the backlash a step further, on Wednesday night publishing an editorial noting a “theory” suggesting without evidence that Messi and Inter Miami’s actions could have been linked to efforts from “external forces” who wish to embarrass Hong Kong.
The Chinese government has not commented on the incident.
‘Not sincere at all’
A statement released on Messi’s official Weibo social media account minutes before the start of the match in Tokyo appeared as an attempt to calm the backlash.
“It was a real shame not to be able to play in Hong Kong the other day due to a groin injury that had swollen and I was in pain,” the post said, reiterating comments the player made to reporters in Tokyo Tuesday, adding that he hopes to return to both Hong Kong and mainland China.
“Anyone who knows me knows that I always want to play, that’s what I always want, to do my best in any game. And especially in these games when we travel so far and fans are excited to see us attend the game healthily,” said the statement, posted in both Chinese and Spanish.
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03:31
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CNN