The organiser of Inter Miami’s controversial exhibition match in Hong Kong – which saw football superstar Lionel Messi sit out the entire game – has announced a 50 per cent refund to fans amid pressure from officials and the public.
Tatler Asia, which organised last Sunday’s pre-season friendly, on Friday said it would make the refund available to those who purchased tickets through “official channels.” Details about the refund process will be provided in March, it added in a statement.
“We apologise to all those who were disappointed by the football match between the Hong Kong Team and Inter Miami CF on Sunday, February 4th. An event that we had hoped to be the pride of the city, and which we have worked very hard on for months, has become the source of great heartbreak,” the event organiser said.
Tatler Asia said the refund could cost them HK$56 million, resulting in a net loss of HK$43 million, according to unaudited figures attached to the statement.
The move came after a closed-door meeting between Tatler Asia and authorities, at which the latter suggested the 50 per cent refund, local media reported on Friday citing sources.
Last Sunday, the Argentinian football star disappointed more than 38,000 local fans and tourists when he sat out Inter Miami’s 4-1 win at the Hong Kong Stadium saying he was injured. Jeers, cursing and calls for refunds were heard from the stands, with some spectators leaving their seats before the match ended.
As of 2 pm on Friday, the Consumer Council had received a total of 1,303 complaints linked to the Inter Miami match. Among them, 1,038 were lodged by local consumers, while the remaining 265 cases were reported by tourists. The amount concerned stood at HK$8.92 million, with the biggest complaint involving around HK$82,000.
Tickets purchased through official channels were priced between HK$880 and HK$4,880.
The debacle over Messi’s no-show continued to swell throughout the week, with China’s state-run Global Times and Hong Kong senior government adviser Regina Ip crying foul over Messi’s failure to play due to an injury.
Global Times claimed there were “political motives” and “external forces deliberately [seeking] to embarrass Hong Kong” behind the incident in an editorial on Thursday. It urged the team to come up with a “reasonable explanation” before its scheduled visit to China for a pre-season friendly in March.
A day earlier, Ip blamed a “black hand” behind the no-show and said Hong Kong should never allow Messi to visit again. The term was used by China to allege foreign interference in Hong Kong’s protests in 2019.
Tatler Asia’s Friday announcement also came after a lawmaker threatened legal action unless compensation was offered. On Thursday, pro-establishment legislator Tang Ka-piu of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions appeared outside the Small Claims Tribunal and demanded Tatler Asia provide punters with refunds within a week.
Messi told a press conference in Tokyo on Tuesday that “muscle discomfort” had prevented him from playing in the Hong Kong match. The World Cup-winning captain said he regretted the no-show and hoped to return to the city in the future.
He went on to play for over 30 minutes in Inter Miami’s last pre-season friendly in Tokyo with Vissel Kobe on Wednesday.
In Friday’s statement, Tatler Asia reiterated that it had urged Messi to engage with fans last Sunday despite failing to take to the pitch, but to no avail.
“The fact that Messi and Suárez played in Japan on February 7th feels like another slap in the face,” it added.
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