Tatler Asia gives conflicting account of when it knew Messi would not play in Hong Kong
- Tatler Asia chairman Michel Lamuniere tells media outlet he only discovered Messi would not play ‘15 minutes before’ the game started.
- He initially claimed he was only informed Messi was unfit to play late in second half of match
Further questions about the fiasco involving football superstar Lionel Messi in Hong Kong have emerged amid conflicting claims of when exactly the organiser of a match featuring Inter Miami was informed that he would sit out the entire game.
Michel Lamuniere, the chairman of luxury lifestyle brand Tatler Asia, which organised the friendly between Inter Miami and a city select team earlier this month, told a sports media outlet on Thursday he only discovered Messi would not play “15 minutes before” the game started.
But that contradicted a Tatler statement made on February 4, in which it claimed it did not have any information about Messi’s non-participation before the kick-off.
Hong Kong Football Association head Pui Kwan-kay, meanwhile, on Friday revealed he had rejected an initial offer to host the match after one originally scheduled to take place in mainland China in November was called off, allowing Tatler to later step in.
At a press briefing held in the wake of the game that left fans disappointed, Lamuniere said Messi was among the list of players submitted by the team’s management, adding he was only informed the Argentine star was unfit to play late in the second half of the match.
