Commercial match fails locals

Comment

Players have responsibility only to their club team

I think it’s only the media that felt insulted by Barce’s “rude behavior.” Local soccer fans were actually happy and excited at the Bird’s Nest last Sunday night.

Surely players like Messi must carry out their duties of smiling and shaking hands because of their tremendous salaries, but rather than being polite, their main role is to be fit and be the best when they play in Barcelona.

– Felix, engineer from Ireland working in Beijing

Double-edged sword

Commercial matches do not always benefit a club. During the Asia tour, Barca was forced to pay a $265,000 penalty as Messi only played 17 minutes in Seoul. They paid another $130,000 for the absence of midfielder Xavi. It is a double-edged sword that might hurt fans and the soccer team.

– Roberto Chen, editor with Xinhua news agency

It’s about business

To say the least, the reigning Spanish champion was underwhelmed at the Bird’s Nest. Messi did not run a lot. The pitch was also not that good. Anyway, you cannot expect a high quality competition from a commercial match. It is, after all, about business and marketing.

– Wang Jin, local soccer fan