Messi denies political motives for missing HK friendly
Inter Miami's Lionel Messi on Monday denied that political considerations were behind his decision not to play in a friendly in Hong Kong earlier this month.  The match organiser agreed to refund half of the money paid by fans after Messi's failure to take to the field on February 4 caused a public outcry in the SAR. The Argentine footballer posted a video on his mainland Weibo social media account saying the allegations were untrue.  “I have read and heard many things that were said after the game in Hong Kong. I wanted to record this video and give you the true version so that no one has to continue reading false stories,” he said.  “I've heard people say that I didn’t want to play for political reasons and many other reasons that are totally untrue.” He reiterated that he wanted to play in the game but couldn't because of an inflamed adductor muscle.  “Since the start of my career, I've had a very close and special relationship with China. I've done a lot of things in China - interviews, games and events,” he said.  He ended the video by saying he wanted to send good wishes to the people of China and to see them again.