JAKARTA: Indonesian fans of Lionel Messi expressed dismay Friday after the star pulled out of a friendly in Jakarta, including one making a 12-hour boat and plane journey to the game who accused organisers of false advertising.
People have rushed to snap up over 60,000 tickets for the sell-out Monday clash between Indonesia and World Cup winners Argentina after Messi’s face was plastered across advertising for the event.
But following days of speculation, fans in the football-mad country received terrible news on Thursday that their hero would not play.
“I’m feeling sad and disappointed, mixed emotions,” 31-year-old shop owner Surya Wijaya Ang told AFP from the remote island of Banda Neira in the eastern province of Maluku.
“This was my biggest chance to see Messi play in person.”
On Thursday, the Argentina side beat Australia in another friendly in the Chinese capital Beijing, with head coach Lionel Scaloni confirming that Messi would not make the Indonesian leg of their Asian tour.
Having become a significant fan of Messi during the star’s time at Barcelona, Ang has amassed a collection of around 200 jerseys adorned with his name.
He plans to take a boat to the eastern Indonesian city of Ambon before catching a four-hour flight to Jakarta to attend the match.
