Lionel Messi: Fans were angered by the World Cup winner's failure to play in Hong Kong

Angry fans in Hong Kong booed Inter Miami during a pre-season friendly after Lionel Messi was absent.

The 36-year-old Argentine World Cup winner, who suffered a hamstring injury, was left on the bench as Inter beat La Liga XI 4-1 in front of nearly 40,000 fans.

There were chants demanding a refund, while the speech of David Beckham, co-owner of Inter, was drowned out by boos.

The Hong Kong government said match organizers Tatler Asia may face a reduction in funding.

The government's Major Sporting Events Committee said: “With regard to Messi not playing the match today, the government, as well as all football fans, are extremely disappointed with the organisers' arrangements. The organizer owes all football fans an explanation.”

He added: “MSEC will take follow-up measures with the organizer in accordance with the terms and conditions, which include reducing the amount of funding as a result of Messi not playing the match.”

MSEC said it had awarded HK$15m (£1.5m) for the event as well as a HK$1m grant for the venue.

A near-capacity crowd of 38,323 at Hong Kong Stadium paid more than HK$1,000 (£101) for a ticket.

But Messi did not participate, and Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez, who joined Inter Miami last December, missed the match due to a knee injury.

In the second half, the chants of “We want Messi” intensified as the Argentine captain, who was newly joined last July, continued to watch from the bench.

Beckham then descended into sarcasm as he tried to thank fans for their “amazing support” after the final whistle.

Organizers said in a statement: “Despite some news reports, Tatler had no information about Messi or Suarez not participating before kick-off.

He added: “Messi and Suarez were deemed unfit to play by their team's medical department, much to everyone's disappointment, including us.”

Inter coach Gerardo Martino said: “We understand the fans’ disappointment in the absence of Messi and Suarez, and we apologize for that, but this decision was made with our medical staff.”

“If there was a way they could play even for a short period, we would have done it, but there was a lot of risk.”