Messi a No Show in Vancouver

The promotional poster for the game this Saturday

Well, looks like superstar footballer Lionel Messi isn't coming to Vancouver either.

Following the debacle in Hong Kong in early February, at least host Vancouver Whitecaps FC are managing people's expectations by releasing a statement two days before the game against Inter Miami CF on May 26.

Messi and two other players are a no show

"While we haven't received an official update on the availability of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Sergio Busquets for this weekend, we understand they will not make this trip. Unfortunately, we have no control over who plays for our opponent, and it was important for us to communicate to our fans as soon as possible," said Axel Schuster, Whitecaps FC CEO.

"We always want our best players going up against our opponent's best players, and facing players of the highest pedigree was especially exciting for our team. We know that there will also be a lot of disappointed fans. We remain committed to making this a special experience for everyone. It is still going to be an incredible atmosphere and celebration of soccer for our city. We have amazing fans, we have a good team, and Saturday's match is a very important home game for us."

So there's going to be a lot of disappointed fans come Saturday, because as soon as the game was announced, tickets were immediately sold out, with some being resold for up to C$10,000 several months ago.

Some tickets as high as C$10K were resold

But there is a bit of compensation for ticket holders, as the Whitecaps FC said in the same statement that the club will sell all in-stadium food and beverages for this match at 50 percent off, and youth 18 and under will get a free kids meal combo.

Given the circumstances the Whitecaps FC probably learned from the Tatler Asia disaster and tried to be as transparent as possible about Messi's status. So cheer up! If you have tickets to the game, at least you can nurse your disappointment in half price food and drinks...