Hong Kong government issues statement over Lionel Messi no-show in preseason friendly

Inter Miami managed their first victory of the preseason with a 4-1 triumph against the Hong Kong Team, but it came at a price as stars Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez missed out through injury -- which upset many in attendance at the game.

Boos rained down onto the pitch where the Herons and the Hong Kong team squared off, as many fans in the crowd at the Hong Kong Stadium were unhappy that the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner remained on the bench for the full 90 minutes.

Messi missing out wasn't a huge surprise given that he came off the bench for a brief cameo near the end of Miami's 6-0 defeat to Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr, but fans will wonder why he couldn't have come on for a few minutes at the end of the match against the Hong Kong Team as well.

"We understand the reception from the fans towards the absence of Leo and Luis," Martino said of the fans in Hong Kong that were disappointed that Messi and Suarez didn't play.

"This was a decision made together with our medical team. We checked their physical wellbeing and they risked sustaining an injury if they went onto the pitch so they couldn't play. We understand the disappointment from the fans and we ask for their forgiveness. We wish we could have played them for even a short while, but the risk was too big."

Martino does have a point, though. It's a tough position to be in, as he doesn't want to risk two key players to long-term problems before the MLS season has even begun. Miami are set to compete in the Concacaf Champions Cup, MLS, US Open Cup and Leagues Cup, all after going on tour and playing seven preseason friendlies in less than a month.

The Hong Kong government were not happy with how the situation unfolded. The Major Sports Events Committee (MSEC) granted nearly $2m in total to have the event setup with Miami, and because Messi didn't play, the event organizer -- Tatler -- is set to lose funding.

"Regarding Messi not playing the match today, the Government, as well as all football fans, are extremely disappointed about the organisers' arrangement. The organiser owes all football fans an explanation," the Hong Kong government said in a release.

"The MSEC will take follow-up actions with the organiser according to the terms and conditions, which includes reducing the amount of funding as a result of Messi not playing the match."

Tatler defended themselves, claiming that they had no knowledge that Messi and Suarez were to miss the game and not feature at all.

Martino confirmed that Messi's injury is the same one that saw him miss time near the end of the 2023 MLS season -- an adductor problem.

"Leo has an inflammation of the adductor as we saw from the images of his muscles. We were expecting an improvement, but the situation has been there for many days. We were checking it constantly with the medical team, and we also had to consider our obligations with the upcoming MLS. So we came to the conclusion not to play Messi in the match."

"In reality, we have been assessing Leo's condition day-by-day. Yesterday [Saturday] he was in the final training [session], and we assessed it in the hotel until this morning. The decision was not made until the afternoon," said Martino.

Martino also confirmed that Suarez picked up a knee injury during the clashes against Al Hilal and Al Nassr.

When Miami announced they were going worldwide ahead of the regular season, many fans criticized the amount of games being played in such a short time as well as the amount of traveling that would no doubt have an effect the players.

Now, it seems those worries have turned into a reality, with Miami unsure of their star players' availability while also seeing their reputation take a hit on multiple fronts.

Miami have one more game in their international tour, as they're slated to take on J1 League side Vissel Kobe on February 7 before returning to DRV PNK Stadium to play host to Liga Profesional outfit Newell's Old Boys.