Furious soccer fans in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada were left feeling spurned after Inter Miami stars Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Sergio Busquets did not play against the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Rumors turned to reality when the trio didn’t take the field at BC Place, with the team deciding to rest the stars.
Fans vocalized their anger – producing signs and even wearing Inter Miami jerseys with Messi’s name altered in protest.
One photo captured three men who changed their jerseys with tape and a marker: one said ‘Missing’, another said ‘No Messi Around’, while a third took a more vulgar route by writing out ‘P***y’.
Other fans held up signs – including one spurned fan who came from Hong Kong, who missed his second chance of seeing Messi after the Argentine didn’t play in the Chinese province earlier this year.
Fans in Vancouver were irate when Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez didn’t show up to play
Some who had gone to see the Whitecaps play Inter Miami altered their Messi jerseys
A defiant head coach Tata Martino defended his team’s actions – saying that it’s impossible for them to predict the future.
‘We trained yesterday. When we finished, I conferred with the coaching staff and talked with the players, and at that moment we decided that they would not form part of the team,’ Martino told reporters Friday.
‘We understand the people’s frustration, especially in wanting to see these players, but it is our job as the coaching staff to make these decisions that are uncomfortable.
‘We understand what these players provoke in the league and other markets, but we have to take these measures that are sometimes unpleasant for people. But they are beneficial for the players,’ the manager continued.
‘We can’t announce with 20 days’ notice what our movements will be. We analyzed the situation on Thursday because we have three games in a week, but sometimes unfortunate things happen that don’t allow for players to participate in a certain match.’
He added, ‘In this case, immediately after Vancouver we have two home games. In evaluating that, we felt it was prudent that the three don’t participate in this game. They continued to train, and trained this morning and will do so again on Saturday to be prepared for Wednesday’s game.
‘In the case of Busquets, it’s worth mentioning that he is the player with the most minutes this season. We needed to find a point for him to stop, or for him to have a break. We thought it was prudent that it be this game.
‘It’s difficult to make a decision like this and announce it with anticipation and that’s why we get to the last-minute situations. In any case, though, I think it is the responsibility of the opponent to have a plan B, for if, for example, Leo doesn’t travel, they have to respond to their public, it’s not our responsibility. When we play as locals, and Leo sits out, we don’t announce it 20 days before.
One man traveled from Hong Kong – a place Messi already spurned – only to miss him again
A young soccer fan holds up a Lionel Messi jersey before a game at BC Place in Vancouver
‘Maybe he doesn’t play due to an injury. When we went to Orlando, we didn’t announce it with anticipation either. It’s the hosts that have to make decisions if these players don’t travel.’
The Whitecaps broke the news to fans in a statement on Thursday – telling fans to not expect the stars.
‘While we haven’t received an official update on the availability of Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, and Sergio Busquets for this weekend, we understand they will not make this trip,’ Whitecaps CEO Axel Schuster said.
‘Unfortunately, we have no control over who plays for our opponent, and it was important for us to communicate to our fans as soon as possible.’
In a statement, Major League Soccer said it ‘acknowledges fan disappointment when marquee players are unavailable for matches.’
‘Each MLS club makes its own personnel and competitive decisions based on what they believe is in the best interests of the club and each player.
‘The league will continue to review measures regarding how clubs report player availability.’
To add insult to injury, Messi and Suarez were both seen at an Inter Miami youth game that was being played at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale rather than at the game in Vancouver.
Adding insult to injury, Messi was seen in Florida at an Inter Miami youth team match
‘Welcome! It’s beautiful to see the stadium like this for this event. It’s a pleasure to have you here at home to enjoy this beautiful experience. I know the sacrifices parents make every day, taking their children to training sessions, matches, and tournaments like this,’ Messi said in an address to the crowd.
Meanwhile, back in Western Canada, fans who had spent hundreds and even thousands of dollars on tickets were left irate and demanding refunds.
While it’s not clear if those were given, the club cut the prices of all the food and beverage in the stadium in half.
People bemoaned the missing stars on social media, while others said that the fans who bought tickets ran the risk of Messi possibly not showing up – especially at a stadium that uses a turf pitch.
