Messi stays on bench at Hong Kong exhibition match ^{CEFR B2}

The exhibition match in Hong Kong was intended to promote the city as an international event hub. Near the end of November 2023 the Hong Kong government issued a HKD 16 million cheque to Tatler Asia to organise a friendly between Miami CF and a local team; Miami announced its Asia tour on December 8, 2023, and tickets for the Hong Kong match sold out within one hour.

About 40,000 people attended on February 4, 2024. Tickets ranged from HKD 880 (USD 113) to HKD 4,880 (USD 625). Rumours said Lionel Messi might miss the game because of a hamstring injury after Miami CF’s friendly at Al Nassr on February 1, and Tatler Asia assured fans hours before the match that Messi would appear. During the 90-minute match Messi remained on the bench and Miami CF won 4–1; fans chanted “We want Messi”, then booed and demanded refunds. David Beckham and Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee were also booed when they entered the pitch after the game.

In a post-match press conference coach Gerardo Martino said Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez were deemed unfit to play by the team’s medical department. Many fans and social media users called the event the “scam of the century” and said they felt cheated. Hong Kong authorities issued two statements saying they were “extremely disappointed” and would consider cutting the funding. On February 5, Secretary for Culture, Sports, and Tourism Kevin Yeung told reporters that “one of the key terms of our funding agreement with Tatler Asia was for Messi to participate in the match for at least 45 minutes, subject to fitness and safety considerations.”

Commentary linked the episode to wider concerns about the government’s use of high-profile events for political and marketing aims. Critics said the match harmed Hong Kong’s reputation and that tourists who came mainly to see Messi felt let down. Political spoofs and cartoons appeared online, and commentators connected the incident to broader tensions in the city. Separately, Hong Kong began legislation for a homegrown national security law in January 2024 and set up rebuttal teams to argue for new laws; some proposed measures address speech described as soft resistance.