Tickets for the Hong Kong friendly featuring Lionel Messi were sold out within an hour on Friday, following a staggering online queue of nearly two million people, as confirmed by organizers.
The highly anticipated match will witness the Argentine legend and his team, Inter Miami, facing off against a Hong Kong XI at the 40,000-seater Hong Kong Stadium on February 4.
Football enthusiasts in the bustling finance hub of 7.5 million experienced a colossal wait in the virtual ticketing line on Friday morning. The tickets ranged from HK$880 to HK$4,880 ($110-$625).
“We are absolutely thrilled with the response from the fans,” said Michel Lamuniere, chairman and CEO of Tatler Asia, which is helping to stage the game.
Some social media users posted screenshots of the app showing an error message which cited “traffic overload”.
Messi last played in Hong Kong in 2014, also for a friendly game.
Miami co-owner David Beckham, who played in Hong Kong in 2003 soon after joining Real Madrid, previously said the MLS club was looking forward to playing in a “beautiful city with a great sports scene”.
Miami’s line-up in Hong Kong will also include Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, according to organisers.
The Hong Kong XI will be made up of players from the Chinese territory’s top division.
(AFP)
