Fans see off expressionless Messi as Inter Miami heads to Japan

After the controversy, Lionel Messi and Inter Miami headed to the airport on Monday afternoon to begin their trip to face off against J.League champions Vissel Kobe, with many fans seeing him off with banners requesting refunds.

Messi did not participate in the exhibition match against the Hong Kong team, leading to a large-scale public relations disaster in Hong Kong, with many fans disappointed and the government also voicing their displeasure.

However, the MLS team featuring the Argentine captain stuck to their itinerary and headed to Japan to continue their preseason tour.

The team headed to the airport shortly before 2 pm, with a shuttle arranged by the hotel they were staying at, while fans saw him and the team off with banners that read "REFUND SCAM" to voice their distaste for the incident.

Messi was seen sitting at the end of the shuttle with no emotion on his face.

The shuttle reached the Hong Kong International Airport at 2.55 pm, and several fans were seen waiting for Messi to catch a glimpse of their idol before he left.

A teen speaking Putonghua and wearing an Inter Miami jersey was questioned by officers at the scene, who stated that he was just there to see him off. They did not create any disturbance.

While Messi was at the end of the shuttle, he was still expressionless and did not wave to the waiting fans.

As Messi and the MLS club headed to Japan, there were rumors that they were going to cancel the match as the game against Vissel Kobe had been pulled out of the schedule on the Apple TV that rebroadcasted that MLS club's games, but the team promoted the Japan trip, as usual, this morning.

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