825 Complaints Worth $714K for Lionel Messi’s No Show in Hong Kong as Inter Miami Faces Backlash

There was a tremendous uproar as the Al Nassr friendlies in China were canceled because of Cristiano Ronaldo. Well, his long-time rival and Inter Miami star Lionel Messi is also not behind, as his absence in the Hong Kong friendlies has led to massive trolling. It looks like the backlash has taken a dramatic turn, as 825 complaints worth $714k have been made because of La Pulga.

It evidently is disappointing news for the Herons, as they hope to expand their popularity in the presence of the Argentinian. It looks like the friendly tour is not going as envisioned by the owners.

The start of the new season is getting worse and worse for Inter Miami

Inter Miami kicked off the new season with the signing of Luis Suarez on a free transfer. There were expectations that more reasonable things were on the way. However, unfortunately, the opposite has happened. After all the injury and results concerns, the organizers of the Hong Kong friendly are facing trouble because of them. The consumer council has received 825 complaints worth HK$5.59m($714k) from several fans against Tatler Asia. They have pointed out that organizers failed to inform about the injuries of Messi and Suarez.

Inter Miami was also reached for a statement regarding the matter. The MLS side revealed they wanted to have Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi play in the Hong Kong friendlies. However, their injury problems prevented them. They also thanked Tatler Asia for making splendid arrangements. The fans that attended the friendly did get an entertaining watch as Herons won the game with a scoreline of 4-1.

However, the reality is that the majority of fans had paid to get a glimpse of La Pulga. Likewise, the Herons also faced problems on the day of the friendly.

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The soccer fans in Hong Kong hugely vented out their frustrations

Inter Miami’s co-owner David Beckham was also in attendance for the game. Several fans pointed out on social media that he was there to compensate for missing Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. Hence, as soon as the England international made their way onto the field, he was hugely booed by the supporters present in the stadium.

To add more fuel to the fire, one fan, in frustration, smashed the head of La Pulga’s mannequin to show his disappointment. It drew parallels to the hotel protests that happened in China because of Cristiano Ronaldo.

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Inter Miami will hope that the organizers can come to some sort of agreement with the furious supporters. What are your thoughts on the case? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.