Tried to put out the fire but made it worse... Chinese fans fire crossfire at Beckham trying to calm the 'Messinoshow'

Refund Requests Flood Comments on Beckham's New Year Greeting Video
Argentine Embassy SNS Receives "Falkland Islands Are British Territory" Comments

The ripple effects of Argentine football star Lionel Messi's 'Hong Kong no-show' have reached China, where David Beckham, co-owner of Messi's club Inter Miami, faced backlash after sending New Year greetings to Chinese fans during the Lunar New Year (Chunje, 春節). On the 13th, Hong Kong's Ming Pao reported that Beckham posted a New Year greeting in Chinese on the Chinese social media platform Weibo the previous day, but netizens responded with a flood of negative comments.

Beckham posted a video on Weibo in both Chinese and English, greeting, "Wishing everyone health and happiness in the Year of the Dragon, and hope you have a joyful time with your family and friends."
[Photo by Weibo]

Beckham posted a video greeting in both Chinese and English, saying, "Wishing everyone health and happiness in the Year of the Dragon, and hope you enjoy time with your family and friends." In the video, Beckham wore a red scarf, a color favored by Chinese people, and was seen eating noodles with chopsticks. However, the video attracted comments such as "Get out of China," "Shameless," and "Refund the tickets," along with abusive language.

Ming Pao pointed out, "As the anger of Hong Kong and Chinese fans continues over Messi's no-show in Hong Kong, Beckham's New Year greeting to the Chinese people shows no sign of calming the situation." It also reported that Chinese netizens flocked to the Weibo account of the Argentine Embassy in China, asserting that "the Falkland Islands are sacred British territory" and urging a ban on Argentine products such as beef from entering the Chinese market.

The Falkland Islands, located 400 km from Argentina, have been effectively controlled by the United Kingdom since 1833. The UK and Argentina fought a war over sovereignty of the Falklands in 1982, resulting in about 900 casualties on both sides, with the UK emerging victorious.

Strong Backlash Over 'Messi No-Show'

Earlier, Messi did not participate in a friendly match between his club Inter Miami and the Hong Kong professional football All-Star team held in Hong Kong on the 4th, citing injury, which infuriated Hong Kong fans. With ticket prices soaring up to 830,000 won and tens of thousands of fans from Hong Kong, mainland China, and nearby Southeast Asia coming to see Messi, about 40,000 fans demanded refunds vehemently.

Particularly, Messi played for 30 minutes in a friendly match held in Japan just three days later on the 7th, which further fueled the anger of Hong Kong fans. As the situation escalated, the event organizer, Tatler, announced on the 9th that it would refund 50% of the ticket price. As the controversy over Messi's Hong Kong no-show spread in China, the Chinese state-run Global Times even raised suspicions that external forces might have politically motivated interference behind Messi's absence from the Hong Kong match.

Earlier, Messi did not participate in the friendly match between his team Inter Miami and the Hong Kong Professional Football All-Star team held in Hong Kong on the 4th due to injury, which infuriated Hong Kong fans.
[Photo by AFP·Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, AFP reported on the 10th that two friendly matches involving the Argentine national football team, scheduled to be held in China next month, have both been canceled. Last month, the Argentine national team, captained by Messi, planned a China friendly tour from the 18th to the 26th of next month. During this period, the Argentine team was scheduled to play against Nigeria in Hangzhou and against Ivory Coast in Beijing.

However, the Beijing Football Association announced in a press release on the 10th that "Beijing currently has no plans to host matches featuring Lionel Messi." Additionally, on the previous day, the Hangzhou city government announced the cancellation of the friendly match between Argentina and Nigeria scheduled for next month. AFP reported, "Some nationalist politicians and media interpret Messi's Hong Kong no-show and subsequent appearance in Japan as a snub to China."