Messi's Explanation for 'No-Show' in Hong Kong

Messi's Explanation for 'No-Show' in Hong Kong: "It was due to a Groin Injury, Bad Luck"

Messi appeared at the press conference, "I continue to feel uncomfortable... I'm also disappointed."

Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), the 'god of soccer' who aroused strong anger from local fans and authorities by 'no-showing' in a friendly match in Hong Kong, gave an explanation by mentioning an unexpected injury.

At a press conference held in Tokyo, Japan on the 6th, Lionel Messi said, "The reason I couldn't play in Hong Kong was because I was really unlucky," and "Unfortunately, things like this happen in soccer."

He added, "It was difficult to play because I kept feeling uncomfortable.

I always want to play in the game.

It's disappointing because we came from far away for this game and people had high expectations for our game."

Messi revealed that he injured his groin.

It is said that a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan taken immediately after the game against Al Nassr (Saudi Arabia) confirmed that the injured area was swollen.

Messi and Luis Suarez, who made a name for themselves as world-class strikers, missed without notice the friendly match between the U.S. Major League Soccer (MLS) Inter Miami and the Hong Kong national team held at Hong Kong Stadium the day before.

Tens of thousands of fans gathered to watch Messi's game not only in Hong Kong, but also in mainland China and neighboring Southeast Asian countries, calling it a "fraud" and demanding a refund, with angry fans continuing to criticize on social media.

Kevin Yung, Hong Kong's Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said at a press conference that he was extremely disappointed that Messi did not play, and even the government authorities expressed their disappointment over Messi's 'no-show'.

The repercussions grew as the government even signaled its intention to withdraw its plan to provide financial support to friendly match organizers.

After moving to Miami, Messageman, who is known to have preferred no contact with the press during official appearances, appeared at the press conference as the controversy intensified.

Messi repeatedly said, "I hope we can go back (to Hong Kong) and play another match," and "It's a shame I couldn't participate in the match (in Hong Kong)."

Inter Miami, who is on an Asian tour, will play a friendly match against Vissel Kobe (Japan) at the Tokyo National Stadium on the 7th.

Messi did not give a definite answer on whether he would participate in the game against Kobe.

Messi said, "I don't know if I will be able to play (tomorrow) or not, but my condition has improved a lot.

I really want to play."

Regarding Messi's behavior at the unusual press conference that day, the Associated Press commented, "It is clear that he was under pressure from Japanese sponsors, including Vissel Kobe."

At the same time, citing experts familiar with the sports industry and ethics, he pointed out that Messi's behavior was not problematic in general 'contractual terms'.

Professor Mark Conrad of Fordham University in the United States said, "It is true that many fans bought tickets to see Messi.

However, unless there are explicit conditions, the tickets themselves are for watching the game and not for watching a specific player."

The explanation is that if there are no separate conditions, it is difficult to force a specific player to participate simply because fans full of expectations bought tickets.

In this regard, the Hong Kong government said that the sponsorship contract signed with organizer Tatler Asia (hereinafter referred to as Tatler) stipulated that Messi must play at least 45 minutes in the match unless there were safety or health issues.

According to the Hong Kong government, Tatler confirmed before the game that Messi would play in the second half, but only revealed 10 minutes before the end that he would not play due to injury concerns.

A representative example of a soccer star who attracts fans and suddenly declared a 'no-show' due to injury is Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nasr).

Previously, Ronaldo, who was a member of Juventus (Italy) in July 2019, appeared in a domestic match against the K-League starting team held at Seoul World Cup Stadium, but never stepped on the field.

The Korean Professional Football League included in the terms of the contract with the host and organizer that Ronaldo must be included in the entry list and play at least 45 minutes, but Ronaldo ignored the fans' aspirations due to conditioning.

At the time, with a crowd of over 60,000, the Juventus team arrived at the stadium past the scheduled kick-off time, delaying the game by nearly an hour, causing anger among fans.

Meanwhile, domestic public opinion worsened to the point where a new word, 'Nalgangdu', was created, combining Ronaldo, who did not run for even a second, and 'Nalgangdo,' but there was no separate apology from Ronaldo.






casinositeking.com