Inter Miami’s world tour reached a new low on Sunday when David Beckham was booed by angry fans in Hong Kong demanding a refund after paying up to £365 to watch Lionel Messi.
The MLS club president and co-owner greeted the 40,000-strong crowd at Hong Kong Stadium and thanked them for their ‘incredible welcome’, but his speech was drown out by loud boos.
The fans’ anger stemmed from the fact Messi, who featured prominently in the advertising ahead of the event, remained on the bench throughout Inter Miami’s 4-1 win over a Hong Kong XI.
Some fans quite literally took aim at Messi.
A video shared on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, shows a fan kung-fu kicking an advertising board featuring a picture of the Argentine star and taking his head off.
Lionel Messi was an unused substitute during Inter Miami’s 4-1 win over an Hong Kong XI
The Argentine superstar remained on the bench because of a hamstring problem
Inter Miami president David Beckham was loudly booed as he addressed the fans in Hong Kong
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All 40,000 tickets for the friendly were snapped up in a matter of hours in December with fans in Hong Kong desperate to see the World Cup winner in action.
But a hamstring injury meant Messi watched on from the sidelines, along with fellow high-profile superstars Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.
Miami coach Gerardo Martino said the club’s medical team had taken the decision after an assessment on Sunday morning.
‘We understand the disappointment of the fans for the absence of Leo [Messi],’ he told reporters.
‘We understand a lot of fans are very disappointed and we ask for their forgiveness.
‘This decision was made together with the medical staff. We ran a lot of risk of aggravating their injuries and that’s why they couldn’t be in the game.’
Martino acknowledged fans were left disappointed, but insisted Messi’s fitness was his main concern.
‘We apologise, but I hope you can understand that, if we had a chance to get them to play for a while, we would have done it,’ he continued.
Fans demanded a refund after Messi did not take part in the eagerly-anticipated friendly
Some supporters spent as much as £365 on a ticket to watch the Argentine in action
An advertising cardboard cutout featuring Messi’s face was subsequently damaged by a fan
‘But we were taking serious risks and that is why, together with the medical staff, we made this decision.’
While it was reportedly made clear to fans when they purchased tickets that there would be no refunds issued if Messi didn’t play.
The Argentine’s absence soon developed into a diplomatic incident, with Hong Kong’s government demanding an explanation from the organisers.
Regarding Messi not playing the match today, the government, as well as all football fans, are extremely disappointed about the organisers’ arrangement,’ it said in a statement.
‘The organisers owe all football fans an explanation.’
Meanwhile, Tatler XFEST, the event organisers, expressed their ‘extreme disappointment’ that neither Messi nor Suarez featured.
The Hong Kong fiasco was the latest entry in what has been a largely forgettable world tour for Inter Miami.
The Herons kicked off their pre-season extravaganza with a 0-0 draw away against El Salvador on January 20, followed two days later by a 1-0 defeat against FC Dallas in front of a near-empty Cotton Bowl.
Just 32,211 fans attended the friendly – a third of the capacity of the Texas venue – with large swathes of empty seats seen throughout the stadium.
Messi only played seven minutes in Inter Miami’s 6-0 defeat against Al-Nassr on Thursday
The proposed showdown in Saudi Arabia against Cristiano Ronaldo never materialised
The Portuguese star was sidelined by a hamstring problem and watched from the stands
Talisca scored a hat-trick as the Saudi Pro League side ran riot over their MLS counterparts
While a torrential downpour arguably contributed to the poor attendance, the small crowd led to questions over why the MLS decided to schedule the game at 6pm local time on a Monday evening in January.
The Herons then embarked on 7,468-mile flight to Saudi Arabia to face Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr, with the latter billed as the ‘Last Dance’ between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi and Suarez were both on the scoresheet in the 4-3 defeat by Al-Hilal, but the much-anticipated showdown with his long-time foe never materialised.
Messi came on a substitute 83 minutes into the game, while Ronaldo didn’t feature at all because of a hamstring injury.
The Portuguese watched from the stands as Al-Nassr took a three-goal lead within 12 minutes en route to a comfortable 6-0 thrashing.
For all of Miami’s mitigating circumstances – Messi’s absence, coupled with the fact that the Herons are still in pre-season, while Al-Nassr are halfway through their campaign – the outcome was from ideal.
FOX Soccer pundit Alexi Lalas insisted the hammering in Saudi Arabia did not offer an accurate portrait of the MLS’ standing, a point echoed by Miami midfielder Julian Gressel.
‘I don’t think you can compare [the two teams]’ he told The Athletic.
‘I think we’re very early on in the process of getting ready for the season. This is our third week now together as a team after a long couple months off.
‘We knew that coming in, good tests, good preseason games that will get us ready for the year and we have a lot to learn from.’
While reading too much into pre-season friendlies is a fool’s errand, Miami’s star-studded team is always bound to attract greater scrutiny than their MLS counterparts.
Even more so when their friendlies are broadcast on Apple TV and earmarked as international blockbusters.
Miami played in front a sparse crowd at the Cotton Bowl against FC Dallas last month
The small crowd led to questions over why the MLS decided to schedule the game at 6pm
Inter Miami will be eager to draw a line under the Hong Kong fiasco when their tour takes them to Japan this week, with a friendly against reigning J-League champions Vissel Kobe scheduled for Wednesday.
The Land of the Rising Sun is the last stop on Miami’s world tour, with the Herons set to return to Florida to face Newell’s Old Boys on February 16.
It will be an emotional occasion for Messi, who joined the Argentine club at the age of eight and spent five years in their academy before joining Barcelona.
Messi and Miami will be desperate for him to feature.
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