Lionel Messi‘s absence from a pre-match meet-and-greet event in Lima, Peru, has triggered an investigation by Indecopi, Peru’s National Consumer Protection Authority. The incident occurred before Inter Miami’s preseason friendly against Universitario de Deportes, leaving many fans disappointed and prompting official action.

Fans who purchased tickets for the meet-and-greet event, costing over 3,000 soles each, were expecting to interact with Messi. However, he skipped the event, according to El Comercio of Peru. Despite this absence, Messi did feature in Inter Miami’s starting lineup for the game itself and played for 72 minutes.

Inter Miami eventually won the match on penalties following a goalless draw. The fact that Messi played in the match following his absence from the meet and greet may increase the likelihood of official action.

Indecopi issued a statement confirming their investigation: “In light of the complaints… regarding the absence of footballer Lionel Messi… Indecopi has launched actions to determine whether there has been a breach of advertising regulations and/or any infringement of consumer rights by the event organizers.”

The investigation will determine if advertising materials for the event were misleading or if consumer rights were violated. The organizing company has not yet issued a statement on the controversy.

Ticketmaster information and fan expectations

Ticketmaster’s event listing described the “Red Chair” package as including “1 entrance to the Red Chair Zone (West Stand), access to the Meet & Greet dinner with the presence of some players from Inter Miami, catering and transfer buses to the Monumental stadium.” The description included some, but not all Inter Miami players. The expectation of fans who purchased this package centered on meeting the global superstar Messi, thus the considerable disappointment when he was absent.

The anticipation surrounding Messi’s visit to Peru was immense. Local newspapers proclaimed his arrival with headlines like “Dios está en Perú” (“God is in Peru”). Fans greeted the team bus enthusiastically and Messi jerseys sold out in stores. The excitement surrounding Messi’s visit demonstrates the player’s considerable global influence and his importance to fans both in his home country and throughout the world.

Although he didn’t score, Messi did interact positively with the crowd, clapping for the fans at the packed Estadio Monumental after playing 72 minutes. Inter Miami ultimately triumphed 5-4 in a penalty shootout, with goals from Julian Gressel, Santi Morales, David Ruiz, Benjamin Cremaschi, and Yannick Bright. Only Jairo Vélez of Universitario missed his penalty attempt. Inter Miami continues its preseason tour with upcoming matches in Panama and Honduras.