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Letters | After showcasing football stars, Hong Kong must focus on the local game
Readers discuss the series of high-profile matches in the city, the legal framework for same-sex partnershipships, and a recent scam
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It is evident that Hong Kong has enjoyed some incredible football moments this year.
Last year, the entire city was abuzz with the prospect of watching Lionel Messi and his team Inter Miami, co-owned by David Beckham, play in Hong Kong. However, not only did Messi not take the field, he showed little interest in the fans in the stadium. There was a huge backlash.
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This year, tickets for the Football Festival at Kai Tak Stadium featuring Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham and AC Milan sold out within hours and the matches – one of which was the very first North London derby outside the United Kingdom – saw record attendance. Earlier in May, Manchester United played against the Hong Kong team in front of 33,000 fans.
Most recently, Hong Kong hosted the Saudi Super Cup involving Cristiano Ronaldo; the football star has a museum dedicated to his career in the city. Overall, the event was a success.
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However, I felt that the tickets were overpriced; they could have been cheaper for the matches not involving Ronaldo. There wasn’t enough marketing of the event and team engagement with fans. There was over-reliance on Ronaldo as the draw of the event, and neglect of other big names such as Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Joao Felix, Riyad Mahrez, Kingsley Coman and others. Still, it was great to witness Ronaldo in action at last.
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