16-12-2023 (HONG KONG) In a frenzy of football fever, tickets for the upcoming friendly match featuring football icon Lionel Messi in Hong Kong were completely sold out within an hour of going on sale, with an astonishing two million people queuing online, organizers announced on Friday.
Scheduled for February 4 at the Hong Kong Stadium with a capacity of 40,000, the match will see Messi and his Inter Miami team facing a Hong Kong XI. The ticketing app witnessed an overwhelming surge in demand, leaving football enthusiasts met with massive queues upon logging in on Friday morning. Ticket prices ranged from HK$880 to HK$4,880 ($110-$625).
Michel Lamuniere, Chairman and CEO of Tatler Asia, one of the organizing entities, expressed delight at the overwhelming response, stating, “We are absolutely thrilled with the response from the fans.”
Social media saw users sharing screenshots of the ticketing app displaying error messages citing “traffic overload.”
This marks Messi’s second appearance in Hong Kong, following a friendly match in 2014. David Beckham, co-owner of Inter Miami and a former player who himself graced Hong Kong’s football scene in 2003, expressed excitement about playing in the “beautiful city with a great sports scene.”
Messi’s lineup in Hong Kong will include Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, as confirmed by organizers. The Hong Kong XI will feature players from the top division of the Chinese territory.
However, the overwhelming demand has given rise to scalpers selling tickets at significantly inflated prices on secondary market platforms. On local resale platforms, tickets initially priced at HK$880 are listed for sale at HK$2,500, while foreign platforms witness sellers asking for an astounding HK$156,153 for tickets. Existing regulations do not cover venues like the Hong Kong Stadium, prompting calls for legislative amendments to address scalping concerns and increase penalties.
Ticket prices ranged from HK$880 to HK$4,880, with over 1.2 million people in the virtual queue at one point. The cheapest tickets at HK$880 and HK$1,580 sold out first, followed by the HK$2,280 and HK$4,880 tickets. By noon, the HK$2,980 tickets were also sold out, leaving only training day tickets on February 3 available.
On local resale platforms, scalped tickets are generally being sold at two to three times their original price. Front-row seats on China’s Taobao are priced at CNY 12,800 ($1,980), while Viagogo sees significant variations, with the cheapest ticket at HK$880 being sold for HK$2,610, and others listed at jaw-dropping prices like HK$126,000 and HK$156,153.
Vincent Cheng Wing-shun, Legislative Councillor, emphasizes the need for authorities to strengthen efforts against scalping, citing the overwhelming demand for Messi’s appearance as a call for immediate action.
