Ho Kwai Kong's comment on "Messi sitting on the bench during his visit to Hong Kong": I believe Hong Kong fans did not feel respected.

Source: Huo Qigang's Weibo

In the 70s and 80s, Julius W. Erving, a Hall of Fame NBA basketball player from the United States, once said, "I firmly believe that respect is a lot more important, and a lot greater, than popularity." This roughly means that he firmly believes that respect is more important and more powerful than being popular.

These days, I have been paying attention to the news about the "International Miami CF" team's visit to Hong Kong, observing the team, the players' every move, and the reactions of Hong Kong fans. Julius W. Erving's quote keeps coming to mind.

There are some things that I'm not sure if I should say, but I still want to say them.

After the announcement of the "International Miami CF" team's visit to Hong Kong, the whole city was shocked. Although this team cannot be compared to many well-established clubs, the focus undoubtedly lies on the team's owner, the "heartthrob" Beckham, and the "soccer king" Messi. Tickets sold out quickly, and the topic of Messi's visit to Hong Kong became a common topic of conversation.

This phenomenon reminds me of 2003 when Hong Kong invited "Real Madrid" to visit. At that time, "Real Madrid" was at its peak, with six superstars including Beckham. Their visit to Hong Kong caused a sensation. I still remember the good atmosphere at that time, with a large number of fans warmly welcoming their idols, and the players being friendly and cheerful throughout.

I was fortunate enough to be at the stadium to watch the game that year. If I remember correctly, each of the "six superstars" had a chance to showcase their skills, and the fans had the opportunity to witness their brilliance. I believe the players could feel how popular they were, and the fans felt the respect the team had for them.

Twenty years later, when the "soccer king" Messi visited Hong Kong, I also hoped to experience the same feeling as back then. I hoped that the original intention of the "Happy Hong Kong" event could really be realized. However, the outcome of the story was not as satisfactory as expected.

In order to welcome the arrival of the "soccer king," the Hong Kong Airport Authority made special arrangements and held a welcome ceremony on the tarmac. When I saw the live broadcast, I thought it was a visit by a head of state to Hong Kong. The high-level treatment was intended for the team to feel the enthusiasm of the city of Hong Kong and the respect of the citizens towards foreign guests.

However, the players left the scene before the ceremony was over, ignoring the emcee's call. I don't know if the players couldn't understand or couldn't hear, but they quickly boarded the bus. The scene was chaotic, and as I watched the live broadcast, I felt very disappointed and embarrassed for the guests and the emcee at the scene. The carefully prepared arrangements for the team's arrival were trampled upon, which was regrettable.

As for the outcome of the match, everyone knows it, and I won't go into details here. I have been involved in sports public service for many years and have served as the head of various delegations, making difficult decisions at times. I understand that as managers or leaders, the health and protection of athletes are always our top priority, but how to respond to and handle crises is also an important aspect. I am not sure about Messi's physical condition, nor do I have the professional qualifications to comment on whether he should play. But if I were Messi, I would know that the 40,000 fans in the stadium came for me, and this is not an international standard official match, just an exhibition game. I would choose to take the initiative to appear and even interact with the audience, shake hands, and give away autographed jerseys to thank the fans for their support.

I'm not sure if this approach is too difficult for the "football king," or if it's because he is so popular, so sought after, and has become numb to the cheers. Messi's achievements in the football world are unquestionable and deserve our respect, but I believe that Hong Kong fans did not feel respected in the handling of this match.

I am also thinking, is it fair to only blame Messi for this match when the organizing unit Tatler Asia invited the "International Miami CF" team? What about the team, the coach, and the organizer?

Of course, when it comes to the organizer, we cannot ignore the "heartthrob" Beckham. I had a close encounter with Beckham 20 years ago, and my impression of him is that he is a very friendly star. 20 years later, he has transformed into the team's organizer.

In 2007, one of the conditions for Beckham to join the LA Galaxy team in Major League Soccer (MLS) was that he could establish a new team to join MLS in the future at a price lower than the market price. In simple terms, he bought a futures option.

He was well aware of his fame, which was enough to increase the attention and market value of MLS. This move led to the establishment of "International Miami CF" in 2018. Beckham's football skills and business acumen are admirable, and this is also worthy of our respect.

Compared to other century-old European teams, International Miami CF has reportedly offered $10 million for an exhibition match in just five or six years. But Beckham should know that this $10 million appearance fee is actually due to the fame of Messi and Beckham himself. Without the endorsement of the "football king," it is not worth that price at all. So it is unreasonable to say that it has nothing to do with Messi.

Scottish player John Stein once said, "Football is for the fans. It can be the greatest game in the world, but if there are no people to watch it, it becomes nothing. The fans are the livelihood of the game."

In simple terms, fans are everything in football. 20 years ago, we watched Beckham, and today we all admire Messi, but it all stems from the love of football. Stars come and go, but football stays forever.

As a team, International Miami CF should cherish every opportunity to play, leave the best impression on the fans every time, and respect everyone who supports them. Fans not only idolize high-priced star signings, but also respect the team's love for and dedication to football, and their contributions to the sport. It will take a long time for International Miami to become a "century-old store". I hope it will not forget its original intention to participate in football, and not just participate for the sake of making money. On this matter, my position has always been consistent - International Miami still owes Hong Kong fans an explanation and an apology.

As for the media brand Tatler, people may not have been familiar with it before, but I believe that now the citizens are aware of it. I certainly support Hong Kong's promotion of the economy through grand events, and I also believe that "people with good intentions" from all walks of life should be welcomed to "make the pie bigger". However, it must be emphasized here that it should be "people with good intentions".

Hong Kong has generations of predecessors in the sports industry who have built up Hong Kong's sports development step by step. Some of them have passion, some have original intentions, and they just hope that Hong Kong's sports development will get better and better. When we talk about supporting the economy through the sports industry today, making money is certainly an important part of it. I don't think it is wrong for the organizers to make money, but we must not forget the original intention of organizing sports events.

The ticket prices for this event were expensive, but the fans still spent their hard-earned money to buy tickets to witness the brilliance of their idols. It is understood that Tatler has also found no less than six companies to sponsor, and the sponsorship fees are estimated to be considerable. There are even rumors that Tatler is selling opportunities to take photos with International Miami players for HKD 150,000.

If I were Messi and knew that the organizers invited me to take photos with guests and then charged a high price, I might also have emotions. Of course, I don't know the profits and costs of this event by Tatler, but all kinds of actions are enough to make people feel that they are "making the most of it", not for football, not for fans, but only for marketing, which is indeed not very good, and all the arrangements have made fans and spectators "hopeful and disappointed".

Every organizing organization should hope for "long-lasting" sports events, and every sports event needs to accumulate experience to get better and better and truly give back to sports fans. The world-famous Hong Kong Sevens Rugby Tournament, for example, has been built up step by step since 1976.

If Tatler really wants to participate in the sports industry for a long time, we should encourage it, but Tatler should also consider long-term strategies, absolutely not short-sighted, and even more so, not disrespecting supporters.

I 100% agree that the government does not use HKD 16 million sponsorship to support this event, which is the most basic. Although the event itself does not involve public funds, it does not mean that there is no need to be accountable to the public and be responsible to society. In fact, in addition to the original cash sponsorship, the government has also made investments in other aspects such as transportation arrangements and police deployment to support the organization of this event.

After reading the statement from Tatler on the day of the event and the explanation at the press conference the next day, it is indeed difficult to accept. In addition, I have also learned that there was insufficient support for volunteers in this event. It is understood that the organizers did not even express a word of gratitude in the end. Volunteers are the key to the success or failure of every sports event. After every Olympic Games, the chairman's speech will specially thank the volunteers for their dedication. This is a basic respect for selfless dedication to others.

On this point, my position on Tatler has not changed. I hope your group can consider a suitable solution to give fans, tourists, and Hong Kong citizens a reasonable explanation and show the respect they deserve. Back to the opening quote of the article, in today's internet era, popularity can come quickly and easily, but if there is no respect behind it, this kind of popularity may come fast and dissipate fast as well. Regardless of the reasons behind this incident, we should learn from it and hope that all parties, including the government and the sports industry, will remember this event and its lessons, and continue to host major events better and give back to society, all while upholding the spirit of sportsmanship.

On the day of the match, I happened to be in Italy for a cultural study and was unable to watch the game in Hong Kong. However, during my visit, I was invited by the CEO of Inter Milan to watch a match, and I also kindly invited their team to consider visiting Hong Kong for exchanges. I hope that in the future, fans will have the opportunity to appreciate the charm of the "Inter Milan" team.

Image source: Xinhua News Agency, Southern Daily