The Hong Kong government has intervened after furious fans demanded a refund as Lionel Messi was left on the bench for 90 minutes in a friendly fixture on Sunday.
Inter Miami beat a Hong Kong XI 4-1 on Sunday, but Messi did not feature at all for the MLS side and angry fans shouted “refund” at the final whistle.
The Argentine is understood to be suffering from a hamstring problem and was not included in the matchday squad – even though coach Gerardo Martino had said on Friday that he was likely to feature in the match in some capacity.
Messi sat out along with his former Barcelona team-mates Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, leaving fans frustrated.
After the final whistle, boos were aimed at Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham and later, the Hong Kong government released a statement.
“Regarding Messi not playing the match today, the Government, as well as all football fans, are extremely disappointed about the organisers’ arrangement. The organiser owes all football fans an explanation,” they said.
“The MSEC will take follow-up actions with the organiser according to the terms and conditions, which includes reducing the amount of funding as a result of Messi not playing the match.”
The government said the MSEC (Major Sports Events Committee) had put up 15 million Hong Kong dollars (around $1.92m) for the event, along with a grant of 1 million Hong Kong dollars for the venue.
After Messi’s non-involvement in the match on Sunday, organisers Tatler Asia could now face a reduction in funding.
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