Benedict Rogers

Lionel Messi shouldn’t have been in Hong Kong in the first place

(Photo: Getty)

Football has turned messy in Hong Kong. Last Sunday, the beleaguered Hong Kong Chinese Communist party was hoping for a public relations boost after Inter Miami agreed to play a friendly in the city against the Hong Kong Team. Instead, the game was overshadowed by a furious row after Miami footballer Lionel Messi failed to come out on the pitch because of a groin injury. The Hong Kong government reacted with outrage, and fans booed the players and demanded refunds. Three days later Messi was well enough to play in Japan, adding insult to injury in the eyes of the CCP.

The outcry has now spread to mainland China, with state media there accusing Messi and his club of ‘political motives’ aimed at ‘embarrassing’ Hong Kong. The Chinese Football Association has cut ties with the Argentinian Football Association in retaliation, and has reportedly removed all content related to Messi from its website. The Argentinian team will no longer play two international games in China either.

Get Britain's best politics newsletters

Register to get The Spectator's insight and opinion straight to your inbox. You can then read two free articles each week.

Already a subscriber? Log in

Written by
Benedict Rogers

Benedict Rogers is a human rights activist and writer. He is co-founder and trustee of Hong Kong Watch, an advisor to several human rights organisations including the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), and specialises in China, Myanmar and North Korea

Topics in this article

Comments

Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months

Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.

Already a subscriber? Log in