Lionel Messi had cleared the air surrounding his absence during a friendly match for Inter Miami in Hong Kong on Monday (Feb 19). Messi, defending FIFA World champion with Argentina, posted a video on his social media handle where he cleared the air on his absence, claiming he had no political agenda to miss the match against a local club. The Argentine further added that he had an inflamed adductor that had become worse after playing another friendly in Saudi Arabia.

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Messi clears air on missing friendly

“I’ve heard people say that I didn’t want to play (in Hong Kong) for political reasons and many other reasons that are totally untrue,” Messi said in Spanish in a video with Chinese and English subtitles.

“Had that been the case, I wouldn’t have even traveled to Japan or visited China as many times as I have.”

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The incident happened on Sunday (Feb 4) when Messi’s Inter Miami were scheduled to play a local club in Hong Kong during their pre-season tour. However, the legendary player opted to only warm the bench and did not come. The issue only got serious when Messi opted to play against Vissel Kobe in Japan says later having also played in Saudi Arabia before the match in Hong Kong.

“I did all I could. But I really couldn’t play. I felt discomfort and there was a risk it’d get worse,” Messi added in his Spanish message.

It is reported that organisers Tatler Asia faced huge backlash for Messi’s absence on the field and had to refund the fans following the incident. Tickets for the game cost up to 4,880 Hong Kong dollars ($624) each. In its statement, Tatler Asia said it would refund 56 million Hong Kong dollars ($7.2 million) in total, resulting in a loss of 43 million Hong Kong dollars ($5.5 million).

Due to Messi’s absence and fan criticism, the Beijing Football Authority has also opted not to stage the Argentine captain and his side next month. Earlier, Argentina were set to face recently crowned African champions Ivory Coast in a friendly match in March’s international break. The contest due to be held in Beijing is now canceled with no further statements from the Chinese authorities.

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