The Tatler XFEST exhibition game (also known as Inter Miami's) in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong government's first major event of the year, has become an international joke. Inter Miami's heroics were absent from the match, and the post-match exchanges between the various responsible parties have fueled widespread anger. On Monday (5th), the Hong Kong government directly held organizer Tatler Asia responsible. Tatler Asia immediately held a press conference and announced its willingness to withdraw its M Brand Fund and government funding, amounting to HK$16 million, at the government's request. However, the company abruptly withdrew without commenting on whether it would reimburse the funds. Our analysis indicates that Tatler Asia raked in at least HK$200 million in ticket sales alone, not including the HK$150,000 per person cost for the meet-and-greet and merchandise. This sudden change of heart regarding Inter Miami's appearance remains fraught with doubts.
One of the key concerns surrounding the "Mesut O'Neal absence" controversy is the cooperation agreements between various entities. Secretary for Culture, Sports, and Tourism Kevin Yeung stated on Monday (5th) that the event was sponsored by the government's "M" brand, totaling HK$16 million. The sponsorship conditions included "Mesut O'Neal must play for at least 45 minutes, unless there are safety or health issues." He also stated that organizers confirmed Mesut O'Neal would play in the second half before the match began and approximately 10 minutes before the end, but ultimately failed to do so. The Hong Kong government is considering withholding all sponsorship.
Yeung Yun-hung said, "You asked if I felt deceived. If we go by the information he has been telling us all along, that Messi would be there, and we saw Messi come to Hong Kong and participate in the activities we had originally agreed on on February 3rd, I think we need to see what the facts are. We have always hoped that the organizer, Tatler Asia, would come forward and explain the incident and the details of the communication between them and Inter Miami CF."
The organizer voluntarily withdrew the Hong Kong government's 16 million yuan subsidy
Tatler Asia, which had consistently claimed ignorance of Meis's cancellation, held a press conference at 6 PM the same day to address the issue. However, he arrived 10 minutes late for the press conference and declined to answer questions, issuing a brief 10-minute statement before departing. He simply expressed regret for the public's disappointment and announced the withdrawal of the "M" Brand Fund application and the HK$16 million government grant. He offered no apology for the incident and declined to comment on whether he would reimburse the funds.
Michel Lamunière stated, "According to a prior agreement with Inter Miami, star players such as Messi, Jordi Alba, Sergio Buzic, and Suarez would all participate, barring injury. Inter Miami's pre-match roster on Sunday indicated Messi and Suarez as reserves, indicating they were fit to play. However, at halftime, Inter Miami stated Messi could not participate. The company immediately notified the government."
Tatler Asia's international competitions have almost zero experience, but their "money-making skills" are astonishing.
However, several questions remain unanswered. Our research revealed that according to the "M" Brand Fund, applicants for major sporting events must be organizations with sports or related experience. However, Tatler Asia has virtually no experience organizing international events. Founded in 1977, the company was acquired by the Swiss Lamunière family in 2005 and established its regional headquarters in Hong Kong, focusing on high-society events and luxury lifestyle magazines in Asia and China.
The chairman of the Hong Kong Football Association, which co-organized the match, distanced himself from the event in a post-match interview, emphasizing that "Mesut O'Neal's absence has nothing to do with the association." The match was negotiated between Tatler Asia and Inter Miami, and he was unaware of the contents of the contract, nor did he know whether it stipulated that certain players had to be present. Yet, the HK$16 million in public funds was handed over to the organizers.
In addition, it is generally believed that the contract signed by Tatler Asia, Beckham and Inter Miami arranges for them to play exhibition matches in Hong Kong, and Beckham and Inter Miami can receive a considerable "performance fee".
Last November, Inter Miami was originally scheduled to visit China for friendly matches against several Chinese Super League clubs. However, the plan fell through due to the passing of former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. Rumors circulated at the time that a company was interested in sponsoring Inter Miami's visit to Hong Kong in February of this year as a "Plan B." In an interview, Hong Kong Football Association President Peter Pui confirmed that "negotiations were ongoing" and that an agency had paid a deposit of approximately US$3 million (approximately HK$23.4 million). However, he initially stated that the chances of success were "50-50" due to Inter Miami's exorbitant "show fee" requirements, which ranged from US$8 to 10 million (approximately HK$62.3 to HK$78 million), with the remaining balance still astronomical. In early December, Tatler Asia suddenly announced a partnership with Inter Miami owner David Beckham to stage an exhibition match in Hong Kong.
This year, Tatler Asia showcased its impressive cash-generating power, securing over a dozen high-profile sponsors, including Prudential, The Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel Hong Kong, Adidas, Mastercard, and the Hong Kong Tourism Board. Tickets for the exhibition match were priced at exorbitant prices, with nearly 30,000 tickets sold on the day of the match, ranging from HK$880 to HK$4,880. Nearly 80% of the tickets were priced at HK$4,880 and HK$2,980, resulting in an estimated HK$120 million in sales. Pre-open training tickets, priced from HK$580 to HK$780, totaled nearly 20,000, generating approximately HK$11.76 million in revenue. Tatler also offered VIP meet-and-greet packages costing HK$150,000 per person, autograph sessions with star players costing HK$120,000 per participant, and a series of limited-edition merchandise, generating significant revenue.
Before the game, Inter Miami said Messi was suffering from injury and had traveled to Tokyo to participate in the exhibition match.
Theoretically, Tatler is more than enough to pay the "show money". Before the game, Inter Miami said that Messi was troubled by injuries such as muscle inflammation. Messi had also played briefly with injuries in the past. The outside world questioned whether Tatler or Inter Miami was "too deep", or that the details of the cooperation could not be agreed upon, which led to Messi's participation being cancelled?
Another puzzling thing is that stars such as Messi and David Beckham, who were absent due to "injury", not only did not show up to explain the reason amid public outrage, but also canceled their planned visit to the Kai Tak Sports Park on Monday (5th), and instead went directly from their hotel to the airport to leave Hong Kong and continue to Tokyo, Japan to participate in a local exhibition match.
The Hong Kong Consumer Council said that as of 12 noon on Monday, it had received a total of 38 related complaints, including 29 complaints from local consumers and 9 complaints from tourists, involving a total amount of HK$216,964, with the highest case involving HK$22,338.
