World footballer
Trouble in Hong Kong: Messi justifies his break from playing due to injury
Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi justified his break from playing at a press conference. photo
© Shuji Kajiyama/AP
Many fans wanted to see Lionel Messi play in Hong Kong. But the superstar only sat on the bench. Now the Argentine speaks out.
Football star Lionel Messi has told disappointed fans in Hong Kong about his absence from his club Inter Miami’s friendly against Hong Kong XI justified with an injury.
“Unfortunately in football something can happen in any game and you can get injured,” said the 36-year-old Argentine at a press conference in the Japanese capital Tokyo. He previously felt he had a problem in his groin and an examination then showed swelling. It was not possible for him to play.
The multiple world footballer sat on the bench during Inter Miami’s 4-1 win in the Chinese Special Administrative Region on Sunday, drawing the anger of many fans who had come to see him play. In truth, he was unlucky, said Messi. “It’s a shame because I always want to play, I want to be there, especially when we travel so far and people are so happy to see us.”
Whistles in the stadium
The Hong Kong government also complained after the game. Sports secretary Kevin Yeung said there had been contractual assurances that Messi would play at least 45 minutes provided there were no safety and health concerns. Many of the approximately 38,000 football fans in the stadium in Hong Kong booed and demanded their entrance fees back.
The US club Inter Miami from Major League Soccer is currently on a tour of Asia. The next game is against Vissel Kobe in Japan on Wednesday. Whether the Japanese fans will see the Argentine world champion on the field remains uncertain. “In truth, I feel much better compared to two days before,” said Messi. It now depends on how the training goes. “To be honest, I still don’t know whether I can play or not,” he told the press in Tokyo.