Lionel Messi, the renowned football player of Inter Miami, has released a video message on the Chinese social media platform Weibo to address the controversy surrounding his absence at a football event in Hong Kong on February 4th. This comes as a follow-up to a previous written clarification that was issued two weeks ago. However, it remains to be seen whether this effort will be sufficient to repair the damage done to his reputation and diplomatic relations.
Messi's failure to appear at the match between Inter Miami and a Hong Kong select squad sparked intense criticism, leading Chinese officials to cancel future fixtures involving Argentina's national team, highlighting the significant repercussions of the incident. His subsequent participation as a substitute in a match in Tokyo further fueled doubts about the authenticity of his quick recovery, resulting in the viral hashtag "medical miracle" and raising questions about the football star's credibility.
Accusations of disrespect towards Hong Kong and Chinese sentiments spread, with state media joining in the condemnation and questioning Messi's motives as well as the competence of the match organizers. In his video message released on Monday, Messi firmly denied any political motivations behind his absence, attributing it instead to an aggravated adductor injury. The video quickly gained popularity on Weibo, accumulating numerous comments and likes, demonstrating Messi's enduring popularity. However, a vocal minority remains skeptical, suggesting that his aim is to protect his standing in the lucrative Chinese market.
During his message, Messi expressed his fondness for China, but it may be too late to fully mend the strained ties. The initial negative reception of his statement, coupled with revelations about the IP address pointing to Sichuan instead of Tokyo, has resulted in online mockery, highlighting the challenges international figures face in China's social media landscape.
This incident serves as a reminder of how quickly brands and celebrities can clash with China's nationalistic online community, potentially facing significant commercial consequences. As a result of the escalating public and official outrage, the match organizer in Hong Kong, Tatler Asia, has been compelled to offer a 50% refund to ticket holders.
Overall, Messi's video message on Weibo attempts to clarify the reasons behind his absence in Hong Kong and refute any political motives. However, the impact of this clarification on his reputation and diplomatic relations remains uncertain, given the skepticism and criticism that have already emerged.
梅西透過微博視頻訊息澄清有關香港缺席事件
利昂尼爾·梅西，國際邁阿密足球隊的知名球員，透過中國社交媒體平台微博發布了一段視頻訊息，澄清了他2月4日未能出席香港足球活動的爭議。這段訊息是對兩週前發布的書面澄清的補充。然而，目前尚不清楚這一舉措是否足以修復對他的聲譽和外交關係造成的損害。
梅西未能出席邁阿密隊與香港選拔隊之間的比賽引發了激烈的批評，使得中國官方取消了涉及阿根廷國家隊的未來比賽，凸顯了這一事件的重大影響。他隨後作為替補球員參加了在東京舉行的比賽，這進一步加劇了對他快速康復真實性的質疑，引發了“醫療奇蹟”這一病毒式的標籤，並對這位足球明星的可信度提出了疑問。
有指控稱他對香港和中國的尊重不足，並在國家媒體中加入譴責，質疑梅西的動機以及比賽主辦方的能力。在周一的視頻中，梅西堅決否認了其缺席背後的任何政治動機，而是將其歸因於加重的股四頭肌傷勢。這段視頻在微博上迅速獲得了廣泛關注，累積了大量評論和點贊，顯示了梅西的持久人氣。然而，仍有一小部分人持懷疑態度，暗示他的目的是為了保護自己在有利可圖的中國市場上的地位。
梅西在訊息中表達了對中國的喜愛之情，但或許已經太遲無法完全修復緊張的關係。他的初始聲明受到的負面評價，以及有關IP地址指向四川而不是東京的揭示，引發了網絡上的嘲笑，凸顯了國際人物在中國社交媒體環境中所面臨的困境。
這一事件提醒我們，品牌和名人很快就可能與中國的民族主義網絡社群發生衝突，可能面臨重大的商業後果。由於公眾和官方的憤慨不斷升級，香港的比賽組織者Tatler Asia被迫向持票者提供50％的退款。
總的來說，梅西在微博上的視頻訊息旨在澄清他在香港缺席事件的原因，並否認了任何政治動機。然而，考慮到已經出現的懷疑和批評，這一澄清對他的聲譽和外交關係的影響仍然不確定。
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