Letters | Hong Kong, give Messi a break

Readers discuss Lionel Messi’s failure to play in a match in Hong Kong, and the welfare of racehorses

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Lionel Messi waves at fans before the friendly soccer match between Inter Miami and the Hong Kong team at Hong Kong Stadium on February 4. Photo: Zuma Press Wire/DPA

Published: 11:30am, 11 Feb 2024Updated: 11:20pm, 11 Feb 2024

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The 2022 Qatar World Cup was a fairy tale for Lionel Messi. My family has followed Messi since. After defeating France in the final, he was often booed when he played for Paris Saint-Germain. Aged 36, he joined Inter Miami, a club based in South Florida which has a large Spanish-speaking population.

In sports, injuries happen, fatigue happens. Messi played so many matches last year. He has not been close to 100 per cent for at least a few months.

Although football is not among the top three most popular sports in the US, there was “Messi mania” last year when he and Inter Miami won matches one after another. Many bought the highly inflated stadium tickets and drove hours only to find Messi could not play. While disappointed, most understood and enjoyed the game. It is unfortunate that he did not play in the match against the Hong Kong team, but football is a team sport. The game goes on with or without Messi.

Inter Miami was ranked lowest in Major League Soccer when Messi joined the team. Often, it was hard to watch them play. I thought the Hong Kong team had a real chance of prevailing. Sadly, the Inter Miami team managed a comfortable win. That was the only game Inter Miami won on this world tour. If you were a coach, would you risk the stars?

Some felt Messi was disrespectful. Messi rarely does press conferences. He arrived in Hong Kong on a long flight after his team lost 6-0 in Saudi Arabia. He was probably not 100 per cent. Give him a break. He is not a public relations professional.

Because Messi didn’t play, the Hong Kong exhibition match garnered international coverage. The US media covered the complaints from Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and local fans and was overall sympathetic.