"Everywhere else, rival fans would be relieved!" - Tata Martino finds it 'strange' that Chicago fans were disappointed by Lionel Messi's absence 

Inter Miami coach Tata Martino has claimed he is surprised that Chicago Fire fans feel hard done by Lionel Messi not playing on Wednesday, October 4. He believes that the opponent fans need to be relieved that the Argentine was not playing.

Speaking to the media after the 4-1 loss to Chicago Fire, Martino claimed that he could not risk Messi because of the injury. He understands that fans around the world want to see the best player in action but does not want to put his player at risk.

He said via Goal:

"I understand the expectations of the fans, but we can't bring him if he is not healthy enough to play. These are the things only we must live with. I find it very strange that a coach has to explain to the rival fans why the best player in the world can't play."

"It's only because it's him and we're in the United States. Everywhere else, rival fans would be relieved that the best player in the world was not there."

Inter Miami have not lost a match in which Lionel Messi has played. However, they have lost three times in his absence and are winless in their last four games across competitions.

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Chicago Fire offer credit to fans who bought tickets to watch Lionel Messi

Chicago Fire were aware of fan unrest as many called for refunds after Lionel Messi was ruled out of their clash against Inter Miami on Wednesday. The MLS side stated that they would offer $250 credit to any fan willing to buy their season ticket while a single matchday ticket would see them get $50.

Their statement read:

"While we don't yet know the official status of Lionel Messi's availability for our match tomorrow... we understand that many of our fans may be disappointed if they don't get the chance to see him play."

"To show our appreciation, the Chicago Fire will be offering a $250 account credit toward new memberships for the 2024 season – or a $50 account credit for anyone unable to use the new member credit – to all single-game ticket buyers who attend our match vs. Inter Miami regardless of which players are able to make an appearance on the pitch."

Chicago Fire went on to win 4-1 on Wednesday with Maren Haile-Selassie and Xherdan Shaqiri scoring a brace each. Meanwhile, Josef Martinez scored a consolation goal for Inter Miami.