In Hong Kong, there's anger brewing over Messi's absence from a sparring. Leo sustained an injury

Inter Miami head coach, Gerardo Martino, explained the absence of forward Lionel Messi in the friendly match against the Hong Kong League team, which ended in a 4-1 victory for the American club.

"We understand the disappointment among fans due to Messi and Suarez's absence. It was a decision made by the medical team. We assessed their physical condition. If we had put them on the field, we would have risked their physical health.

We understand that fans are very upset, and we apologize to them. We would have liked to have been able to put him on the field to play for some time, however, the risk was too high," Martino told the South China Morning Post.

It is worth noting that earlier, the Hong Kong government demanded explanations from the organizers for Messi's absence on the field. The issue arises from the fact that a grant of HK$15 million (just under US$2 million) was allocated for the match, with an additional HK$1 million transferred to the stadium, and according to the contract, the Argentine was supposed to spend a minimum of 45 minutes on the field.

Soon after, Messi himself explained why he did not play against the Hong Kong League team:

"I don't know if I'll be able to play in the next Inter Miami match (on February 7 against Vissel Kobe), but I already feel much better. Today in the afternoon, we will have a training session, and I will make a decision. During the first meeting in Saudi Arabia, I felt a problem with my drive muscle. Then I had an MRI, which revealed nothing, but I felt some discomfort. Unfortunately, this is football. We can miss any match. But I always want to play, especially in matches we play so far away," Messi told Foot Mercato.