Lionel Messi defends his absence from Hong Kong national team amid continued backlash from China

Lionel Messi has highlighted his “special” relationship with China as he continues to face the wrath of Chinese fans for missing a match in Hong Kong.

Messi claimed in a video on the social media site Weibo that he missed the February 4 match due to injury.

The backlash against the 36-year-old Argentine superstar has been going on for weeks.

The world champions were scheduled to play Nigeria in Hangzhou and Ivory Coast in Beijing. However, soccer authorities in the Chinese capital said, “Beijing currently has no plans to host the match in which Lionel Messi was scheduled to appear.”

The Hangzhou Sports Bureau also announced that the match it was hosting was canceled for “reasons known to everyone.”

Messi remained on the bench during the match in Hong Kong due to injury. State media Global Times accused the player and his club Inter Miami of having “political motives” aimed at “embarrassing” the Chinese special administrative region.

However, in a Weibo video posted on Monday, the Argentine player denied claims that he missed playing for “political reasons” as “completely false”. He emphasized his “special love” for the Chinese people, adding: “If I had, I would never have traveled to Japan or visited China so many times.”

He repeatedly claimed that he could not play in Hong Kong due to adductor inflammation. “I worked hard to train and I worked hard for everyone who came to watch me train,” he said.

“I did everything I could. I even went to soccer clinics with all the kids. But I couldn’t really play. I felt uncomfortable and risked getting worse.”

Messi’s Weibo post is his second attempt to explain his absence from the game, and has so far garnered around 55,000 comments.

Some were skeptical. One comment read, “Sorry is a really hard word to say.”

Still, there were people who supported me. The comment read: “We know you love China and we will always support you in all you do for us.”

The territory’s chief executive, John Lee, said he was extremely disappointed by Messi’s absence and asked match organizers for an explanation. Other officials, such as Hong Kong lawmaker Regina Yip, were also furious, claiming that “Hong Kong people hate Messi, Inter Miami and the black hands behind them,” adding that “the deliberate and calculated He claimed to have been disrespectful.

Just last year, Messi received a rock star welcome in Beijing when he represented his country in a friendly against Australia. Approximately 68,000 fans paid up to $680 for the chance to see him play. He is also a spokesperson for major Chinese brands such as Huawei, Chery, Tencent, Mengniu, Chishuihejiu, and J&T Express.