Messi Fans Get 50% Refund On Tickets

Fans who bought tickets to watch Lionel Messi, the star of the Argentine national football team and the American Inter Miami team, in Hong Kong, before the latter remains on the bench without participating in the friendly match, will receive a refund of 50 percent of the value of the tickets, provided that they pledge not to take any legal action. The Argentine star and his team, Inter Miami, angered the fans when he remained on the bench during a match against the Hong Kong League Stars team on February 4th due to injury. Fans who paid up to 570 euros to see Messi chanted, "Mend us!", and pointed their thumbs down in mockery of the team's co-owner, former English star David Beckham, when he tried to thank the fans at the end of the match. Later, Messi confirmed that his absence from the match was not neglect, but rather due to injury. In a video clip posted on the Chinese social networking site Weibo, Messi rejected talk that his non-participation in the match was for “political reasons,” and said that if that were the case, “I would not have traveled” to Hong Kong in the first place. On Monday, Tatler Asia, the organizing company, offered a 50 percent refund “to fans who purchased tickets through the official channels for the match.” The company explained that those wishing to recover their money must agree to the conditions that stipulate “not taking legal action before any court of law, judicial body (or) regulatory authority.” In light of criticism for what was described as an abject failure, Tatler withdrew its application for a $16 million grant from the Hong Kong government to fund the event the day after the match. Inter Miami's next stop after Hong Kong was Japan, where Messi played 30 minutes in another friendly match against Vissel Kobe in Tokyo, which again sparked the anger of Chinese fans.