2024-02-10 07:43:49
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The spectators, who had paid up to 4,800 Hong Kong dollars (nearly 540 francs), had expressed their dissatisfaction with the absence of the player, but especially with his attitude, because he had not addressed the public to apologize . The controversy further swelled when, on Wednesday, Lionel Messi played 30 minutes of a friendly match in Japan, where several photos show him all smiles, while he seemed to have a closed face in Hong Kong.
“Many football fans and Internet friends have recently asked us for information about Lionel Messi’s match in Beijing,” the Beijing Football Association, the body that oversees football in the capital, said on Saturday. Chinese. “After verification (by our services), Beijing does not plan, for the moment, to organize the match in which Lionel Messi was to participate,” she stressed in a press release.
“Cleared”
Argentina’s match scheduled in Hangzhou had already been canceled on Friday evening. “Given the reasons that everyone knows, according to the competent authorities, the conditions for the event to take place are not met,” indicated the Hangzhou Sports Bureau.
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On the social network Weibo, the vast majority of Internet users seemed to support the decision of the Chinese sports authorities. “If he doesn’t respect his Chinese fans, we can’t let him take a cent from the Chinese pockets,” reacted a user, in tune with the general tone of the messages.
“We gave him our love and he treats us like that. This slap (of the cancellation) is deserved,” wrote another. “Courageous decision”, “the Chinese don’t fold” and “get out of Messi!” were among the most common reactions.
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Lionel Messi and David Beckham, co-owner of Inter Miami, were booed in the Hong Kong stadium where the meeting was held. On Friday, the company which organized the match, Tatler Asia, promised spectators a 50% refund.
“Injuries are part of the game and we understand that. However, we were saddened by the fact that the players did not show sufficient respect towards the supporters present,” the company stressed.
Financial interests
The probable cancellation of the tour in China is a headache for the Argentine Football Federation (AFA), which considers the Asian giant a strategic market. In June 2023, the Albiceleste had already played a friendly match in Beijing during a visit which resulted in the conclusion of lucrative contracts with local companies.
The AFA has sponsorship and cooperation contracts with the coffee chain Cotti Coffee and the Chinese dairy leader Yili, among others. “We are fully aware of the importance, uniqueness and enormous growth potential of AFA in the Chinese market,” Leandro Petersen, Sales and Marketing Director of AFA, said recently.
The Chinese newspaper Global Times, known for its nationalist positions, implied in an editorial this week that the behavior of Inter Miami and Messi could perhaps have been “politically motivated.” The Hong Kong authorities have been regularly in the crosshairs of the United States and the United Kingdom since the implementation in the semi-autonomous territory of a national security law which helped to muzzle political opposition.
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