Current location:World Weave news portal > business
Lionel Messi tells Chinese fans no politics at play in his HK absence
World Weave news portal2024-05-21 18:08:10【business】4People have gathered around
IntroductionArgentinian footballer Lionel Messi has told Chinese fans that his absence from a much-publicised Ho
Argentinian footballer Lionel Messi has told Chinese fans that his absence from a much-publicised Hong Kong match was not political, after he was accused of attempting to humiliate the city as it aimed to boost its international image.
In a video posted on Chinese social media platform Weibo on Monday night, Messi said it was “totally untrue” that he sat out the match earlier this month for political reasons. He repeated an earlier statement given to reporters that he had been suffering from inflamed leg muscles.
“I’ve had a very close and special relationship with China,” the Inter Miami footballer said, speaking Spanish in the video which included Simplified Chinese and English subtitles.
The Beijing Football Association has since cancelled two of Argentina’s friendly matches – against Nigeria in Hangzhou and Ivory Coast in Beijing – slated for March. The South American country’s team, captained by Messi, had earlier announced a tour in China.
‘Special affection’ for China
Mainland China is home to a growing football market, with Chinese leader Xi Jinping a self-proclaimed football fan who has expressed hope of China becoming a global football powerhouse.
Messi’s Weibo video attracted around close to 60,000 likes by noon on Tuesday, with most comments speaking positively of the football star. They also said they understood that Messi was injured and would not have been able to recover overnight.
“I believe this footballer who I have always loved would never have any bias… football is pure, and so is he,” one Chinese comment read.
In his video, Messi said he sent “good wishes to everyone in China who I’ve always had special affection for.”
The government said it welcomed Tatler Asia’s decision to offer a 50 per cent refund for those who purchased tickets. It added that authorities still hoped that Inter Miami would offer an explanation about Messi’s absence from the pitch to local and international fans who had travelled to the city for the game.
Address of this article:http://guadeloupe.fivesixgroup.com/news-436d499559.html
Very good!(36371)
Related articles
- Jon Wysocki dead at 53: Staind drummer passes away
- Paris Hilton excited to 'reclaim her narrative' by producing Toxic docuseries about 'pop
- O’Neill has a goal and an assist, Montreal clinches a playoff berth with 5
- Utah hockey fans welcome the former Arizona Coyotes to their new home
- Kristin Cavallari, 37, ignores critics of her age
- Famed photographer Annie Leibovitz's STUNNING California estate hits the market for $9 MILLION
- Rangers star Corey Seager hit by pitch, leaves game because of shin contusion
- Connor Wong homers twice, Rafael Devers connects for solo shot as Red Sox hammer Guardians 8
- Children are evacuated from school 'during an exam' after threat made via email
- TikTok bows to European pressure and halts reward feature on new app in France and Spain
Popular articles
Recommended
The unstoppable duo of Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos
Contreras has 3 hits as Brewers take advantage of sloppy inning by Pirates in 3
I flew from Scotland to Denmark for 24 hours for a family trip to Legoland
UN report says 282 million people faced acute hunger in 2023, with the worst famine in Gaza
Shooting injures 2 at Missouri high school graduation ceremony
Lithuanian soprano Asmik Grigorian makes belated Metropolitan Opera debut as Madame Butterfly
Santiago Espinal has 3 RBIs, Fernando Cruz pitches out of another jam and Reds beat Phillies 7
Taylor Swift's Tortured Poets Department becomes Spotify's most
Links
- Italian restaurant savors success in Tianjin's bustling historic area
- Beijing water town to roll out immersive autumn experience
- China launches 504
- China opens 829 sites providing free pneumoconiosis treatment
- Tyler Lussi keeps NC Courage undefeated at home in NWSL
- Greater efforts urged on sci
- Chinese tourist arrivals to Cambodia's Angkor up significantly
- 3 dead in east China residential complex fire
- Ice and snow festival opens in Beijing
- Thousands rally in Madrid to urge Spanish leader Pedro Sánchez not to resign