Hong Kong football boss hopes arrival of Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will boost game’s commercial pull in city
- Match on February 4 will take place at Hong Kong Stadium and see Argentina star lead his side against city select team
- The trip marks the Major League Soccer side’s first international tour, organisers say
Hong Kong football chief Eric Fok Kai-shan said next year’s visit of Inter Miami and global superstar Lionel Messi could help drive the commercialisation of football in the city.
The US club, which is part-owned by David Beckham, announced on Friday that it would begin its first international tour with a match against a Hong Kong select team at the national stadium on February 4.
Fok said the Hong Kong side would be managed by national team head coach Jorn Andersen, despite the quarter-finals of the AFC Asian Cup in Qatar being scheduled for February 2 and 3.
Inter Miami will stage an open training session at Hong Kong Stadium on February 3, the day before what Fok called “a big showdown, a spectacular football game”.
“Hong Kong has such a great sports scene,” Beckham said. “In partnership with Tatler, we are pleased to be able to bring the team to this fantastic city as part of Inter Miami’s debut game in Asia.”
The Major League Soccer club acquired Messi, an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and considered by many to be the word’s greatest footballer, in July. Their squad also features the Argentine’s former Barcelona teammates, Sergio Busquets, a World Cup winner in 2010, and Jordi Alba.
