{"id":2177187,"date":"2024-02-15T13:46:02","date_gmt":"2024-02-15T18:46:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lionel-messi-no-show-in-hong-kong-turns-political-as-chinese-fans-drag-argentina\/"},"modified":"2024-02-15T13:51:49","modified_gmt":"2024-02-15T18:51:49","slug":"lionel-messi-no-show-in-hong-kong-turns-political-as-chinese-fans-drag-argentina","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lionel-messi-no-show-in-hong-kong-turns-political-as-chinese-fans-drag-argentina\/","title":{"rendered":"Lionel Messi&#8217;s absence in Hong Kong sparks political controversy as Chinese fans criticize Argentina"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Flionel-messi-no-show-in-hong-kong-turns-political-as-chinese-fans-drag-argentina%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2177187&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>The Fury Over Lionel Messi&#8217;s Injury Turns Political<\/h2>\n<p>The\u200c recent controversy surrounding international soccer star \u2064Lionel Messi&#8217;s \u200babsence from an exhibition match in\u200d Hong Kong \u200ddue to a hamstring injury has taken a political turn. \u200dAngry fans have not only criticized Messi but\u200b have\u200d also expressed \u200csupport for Britain&#8217;s sovereignty\u2063 over the Falkland Islands.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThe fact that the islands\u200c belong to Britain is beyond doubt,\u201d one user\u2063 posted under a Weibo entry by\u200b Argentina\u2019s embassy. \u201cMessi is\u200c a thief. All his Ballon d\u2019Or awards were stolen.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Another\u200b fan renounced\u2063 their\u200c allegiance to\u2064 Argentina&#8217;s sovereignty, stating, &#8220;Today, I solemnly declare that from now on, I will no longer accept that the\u200d Malvinas Islands belong\u200c to Argentina.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>A\u2063 third fan simply wrote, &#8220;The Malvinas Islands [Falkland Islands] are part\u200b of the UK.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The Falkland \u200bIslands, located about 8,000 miles\u2062 from Britain in the South Atlantic,\u200c have been a subject of dispute between Argentina and Britain for nearly two centuries.\u200d Despite the \u2063majority of Falkland Islanders being of British descent and opposing Argentina&#8217;s \u2062claim, Argentina \u2062continues to stake its claim.<\/p>\n<h3>Chinese Uproar and Messi&#8217;s Apology<\/h3>\n<p>The Chinese uproar over Messi began when he did not play in the \u2064highly promoted Inter Miami match in Hong \u200bKong. Some mainland China fans traveled long distances to see Messi, only to be disappointed. The Global\u200c Times \u2064reported that this disappointment was &#8220;entirely understandable.&#8221;<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThe impact of this incident has far exceeded the realm of sports,\u201d \u200bthe paper wrote.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Messi apologized to his Chinese fans on Weibo, explaining his injury\u200d and expressing\u2062 his desire to return to the mainland to share the \u2063joy of\u2062 football with them.<\/p>\n<h3>Messi&#8217;s Tokyo Appearance and Further\u2062 Resentment<\/h3>\n<p>While some argued that Messi should have \u2063personally informed his fans about his absence, the situation escalated when he played in Tokyo \u200da \u2064few days later. This triggered resentment in China, leading to more criticism directed at Messi, his \u2062Inter Miami boss David Beckham, Japan, and Argentina.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2063South China \u200dMorning Post website even posted\u200c a video titled &#8220;Why Hong Kong Hates Messi,&#8221; accompanied\u200d by a scathing \u2063monologue by the paper&#8217;s managing editor.<\/p>\n<h3>Impact on Inter Miami and Messi&#8217;s Partnerships<\/h3>\n<p>The \u200b&#8221;friendly&#8221; matches in Asia were intended to \u200cgenerate support for Inter Miami \u2063but have instead \u200cbecome a public \u200brelations\u200b nightmare. The anger towards Messi may also \u2062have consequences for his partnerships with Chinese \u200bcompanies, as fans have flooded\u2064 social media demanding that these companies sever ties with the soccer captain.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, the controversy surrounding Messi&#8217;s injury has\u200c not only affected the world of sports but has\u200b also ignited political tensions \u200band strained relationships.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How \u2062does the politicization of Messi&#8217;s injury \u200chighlight the complex nature \u200cof\u2064 soccer fandom and its potential political implications<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Atlantic \u200dOcean,\u200b have long\u200b been a point of contention between the UK and Argentina. The two countries\u200d have disputed ownership of the islands for \u2064decades, with Argentina \u200cclaiming them as their own and Britain maintaining control.<\/p>\n<p>The\u200b <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jessica-tarlov-and-bill-maher-cry-about-the-maga-party\/\" title=\"Jessica Tarlov and Bill Maher cry about the Maga Party.\">recent outpouring<\/a> of support \u200dfor \u200dBritain&#8217;s sovereignty over the Falkland Islands in response to \u200cMessi&#8217;s injury has surprised\u200b many. It\u200d appears that some fans are using \u200bthe soccer\u200b player&#8217;s absence from the match as an opportunity to express their political beliefs and\u200b take\u2062 a stance on the issue.<\/p>\n<p>The relationship between \u200dsoccer\u2062 and politics is not a new phenomenon. Throughout history, international\u2063 soccer matches have often been used as a platform to\u200b showcase political ideologies and promote national \u2063pride. The World Cup, for example, \u2063has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-everyday-citizens-reminded-criminals-why-the-second-amendment-matters\/\" title=\"Everyday citizens reaffirmed the importance of the Second Amendment to criminals\">witnessed numerous instances<\/a> \u2064of political tension and rivalry.<\/p>\n<p>However, \u200cthe connection\u200d between Messi&#8217;s injury and the\u200c Falkland Islands\u200c controversy may \u200dseem unusual to some. After all, \u200bMessi is an Argentine player, and his \u200cinjury has no \u2064direct relevance\u200d to the \u200dFalkland Islands dispute. Yet, the fervor \u200cand passion that \u200bsoccer elicits from its fans can sometimes spill over into other areas \u2064of life, including politics.<\/p>\n<p>The comments made by fans on social media \u2062platforms demonstrate the depth of feeling and \u2063attachment that individuals have \u200ctowards their national identity. For some, supporting Messis&#8217; absence from the match is a way to voice their \u200ddissatisfaction with Argentina&#8217;s claim over the\u200d Falkland Islands.\u2062 By attaching themselves to Britain&#8217;s sovereignty, \u200bthey are making a statement about\u2063 their political beliefs and affiliations.<\/p>\n<p>It is worth noting that not \u200dall fans are taking this political route in response to Messi&#8217;s injury. Many are simply expressing disappointment and frustration at not \u200bbeing able to see their \u2064idol play. Soccer, after \u200call, has\u2064 the power to\u200d bring people together, crossing boundaries and uniting \u2062fans \u200bacross the globe.<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, the \u200dpoliticization of Messi&#8217;s \u2063injury highlights the complex and multifaceted nature of soccer fandom. It\u200b serves as a\u200c reminder that even seemingly innocuous events in the world \u2062of sports can have political implications and stir deep-rooted emotions.<\/p>\n<p>As Messi recovers from his injury and prepares to return to the field, it is \u2064unclear how this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-presidential-candidates-show-support-in-controversy-over-try-that-in-a-small-town-song\/\" title=\"GOP candidates back controversial \u2018Try That in a Small Town\u2019 song.\">political\u200c controversy<\/a> will shape\u200d his future reception. Will fans continue to voice \u2062their political beliefs through Messi&#8217;s performances, or\u200d will the focus shift back to his incredible talent and skill?<\/p>\n<p>One thing is for certain, \u200bthough &#8211; soccer will continue to be a powerful vehicle for individual and collective\u200d expression, both on and off the field. Whether it is\u200b through \u200dpolitical statements or simple admiration for a player&#8217;s abilities, the world of soccer will \u200calways provide a platform for fans to make themselves heard.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The controversy surrounding Lionel Messi&#8217;s absence from a Hong Kong exhibition match due to injury has taken a political turn. Angry fans are now criticizing Argentina and supporting Britain&#8217;s claim over the Falkland Islands, stating that the islands undeniably belong to Britain<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2646,"featured_media":2177188,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/AP24015793827394.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2177187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/AP24015793827394.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2177187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2646"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2177187"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2177187\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2177188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2177187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2177187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2177187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}