Lionel Messi & Co arrive to take on Hong Kong - but only half the 40,000 tickets have been sold
HKFA insists exhibition game against world's number two team to mark its 100th anniversary will still be a success
The party to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Hong Kong Football Association has not drawn the attention of the masses with only about half of the tickets for the Argentina match against Hong Kong sold - but chief executive Mark Sutcliffe insists it will still be a hit and that the HKFA will not make a loss.
It is believed the HKFA has had to pay HK$30 million to lure Lionel Messi's Argentina for the one-off exhibition at Hong Kong Stadium tomorrow night. This sum can be recovered if the 40,000-capacity venue is sold out.
"The HKFA will not make a loss because the match is being under-written by our directors," said Sutcliffe. "We have sold around 50 per cent of the tickets, but sales are brisker now that we are getting close to the match and it is traditional here for people to buy tickets at the last minute and even on the day of the match.
We have sold around 50 per cent of the tickets, but sales are brisker now that we are getting close to the match
"It's going to be a great night. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to watch some of the world's best footballers. And we are punching above our weight in getting Argentina here in the first place," Sucliffe added.
Argentina arrived last night from Beijing having played Brazil in a "Superclasico" friendly on Saturday night.
