Lionel Messi did not play in Inter Miami’s last Major League Soccer (MLS) match as a precaution. The Argentine has no discomfort, but Tata Martino wanted to give his star a rest. Houston Dynamo, Inter Miami’s rivals, promoted the match throughout the week assuming that Messi would play in the match, but he did not. Not only did they lose the match 1-4, but also the team’s fans took to social media with comments such as “what a joke of a league”. As an apology, the club decided to give tickets to all those affected for a future Dynamo match in MLS
The news received a lot of negative feedback and fans were quick to show their displeasure. Some agreed that “they should be refunded for the tickets”, something that has ended up happening although in a different way. Houston Dynamo were forced to apologise as they expected the stadium to have a large crowd to see Messi and other great stars live
The statement read: “The report on the condition of the players did not include Leo Messi, but it has been communicated that he has not traveled to Houston. Unfortunately, we have no control over who is going to play in the opposing team.”
The solution: give away tickets for the next match
Amid the uproar and criticism that arose around this incident, the team took steps before the game against Inter Miami to address the problem. They decided to compensate all those who were going to attend that match with free tickets to the next game.
The capacity of the stadium is 22,000 spectators. The attendance was 20,810, almost a ‘sold out’. Tickets to watch the match live ranged from $80 to $200. Houston Dynamo ‘repaired’ their double mistake by compensating their fans with the opportunity to watch their team for free in the next MLS match.
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