Lionel Messi No-Show Angers Hong Kong Government and Local Fans
Disgruntled soccer fans in Hong Kong vented their frustration during and after Sunday's exhibition game featuring Inter Miami.
The Major League Soccer side beat a team representing the Hong Kong Premier League 4-1 despite playing the full 90 minutes without star strikers Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
Messi - who had made a brief cameo in Miami's 6-0 loss to Al Nassr on Thursday - had a hamstring injury, while Suarez was nursing a knee problem.
Lionel Messi pictured sitting on the bench during Inter Miami's 4-1 win over a Hong Kong XI
IMAGO/Newscom/EyePress/Alan Siu Mui
"We want Messi," was frequently chanted during the match at the Hong Kong Stadium, where 38,323 fans had each paid more than $125 for a ticket.
There were also chants of "refund", before a post-game speech by Inter Miami president David Beckham was drowned out by booing.
Beckham thanked the fans for their "incredible support".
Inter Miami president David Beckham was jeered while giving a post-match speech
IMAGO/Newscom/EyePress/Alan Siu Mui
Later on Sunday, the Hong Kong government made a statement criticizing 'Tatler Asia' - the company that had been in charge of organizing the match.
The government's major sports events committee (MSEC) said: "Regarding Messi not playing the match today, the government, as well as all football fans, are extremely disappointed about the organizers' arrangement.
"The organizer owes all football fans an explanation.
"The MSEC will take follow-up actions with the organizer according to the terms and conditions, which includes reducing the amount of funding as a result of Messi not playing the match."
According to the MSEC, the government had granted 15m Hong Kong dollars ($1.92m) for the event, along with a grant of 1m Hong Kong dollars for the venue.
Messi was unable to play on Sunday due to a hamstring injury
IMAGO/ZUMA Wire/Liau Chung-ren
Tatler issued a short statement in response. It read: "Despite some news reports, Tatler did not have any information about the non-participation of Messi or Suarez prior to kick off.
"Messi and Suarez were deemed unfit to play by their team's medical department, to everyone's, including ours, disappointment."
Inter head coach Gerardo Martino said: "We understand the fans' disappointment in the absence of Messi and Suarez, and we apologize for that, but this was a decision made with our medical staff.
"If there was a way they could have played even a little while we would have done it, but there was too much risk involved."
