Messi is in the spotlight again, but this time it's a little different. As someone who loves football, I'm not a fan of a particular star, because being too obsessed with someone can often lead to irrational judgment. Recently, Messi blatantly breached the contract and refused to play in a commercial football exhibition match in Hong Kong, sparking anger and disappointment among tens of thousands of fans.
Although there were fans who defended him by saying that he was unwell or restricted by the club, those reasons didn't matter to me.
Crucially, this international football commercial exhibition match made it clear in the early publicity that Messi would be the main player, and the contract also stipulated that he would play no less than 45 minutes. In addition, he promised to interact with fans and cooperate with the organizers in their commercial promotions. Surprisingly, however, Messi did not keep these conventions. Not only did he refuse to play, but he also behaved indifferently throughout the whole process, did not interact with the fans, and even bypassed the chief executive's award ceremony.
Although he showed his ebullient side in Japan a few days later, claiming that he was not injured but just not feeling well, we could not determine his specific motives and reasons. However, Messi's behavior has undoubtedly caused great disrespect to Chinese fans and Hong Kong**. Despite the hospitality of our market, we also cannot tolerate being treated as a wrongdoer.
At present, Hong Kong** has cancelled the sponsorship fee of 16 million, and I think other breaches of contract should also be compensated. First of all, fans, as consumers, should be compensated accordingly, including ticket refunds, money refunds, and compensation for losses. Secondly, for those fans who travel to Hong Kong from all over the country, they should be reimbursed for travel, accommodation and meals. Finally, Messi and his team should publicly apologize and admit their mistakes to Chinese consumers. Only by making them pay the price can the basic rules of modern business civilization be maintained.