David Beckham is BOOED and 40,000 Angry Fans Chant 'Refund' after Lionel Messi was Left on the Bench
- 3 months ago
Furious fans in Hong Kong booed David Beckham and demanded a refund after paying for tickets to watch Lionel Messi, only for the Inter Miami star to stay on the bench.
Beckham, the president and co-owner of the American soccer franchise, greeted the 40,000-strong crowd after the game and thanked them for their 'incredible welcome' following Inter Miami's 4-1 win over a Hong Kong XI.
But the Manchester United and England was roundly booed during his speech after fans paid as much as $460 for a glimpse of Messi in action.
There was always a chance he would not feature due to injury but fans snapped up all 40,000 tickets at Hong Kong Stadium within an hour when they went on sale in December.
It was reportedly made clear to fans when they purchased tickets that there would be no refunds issued if Messi didn't play.
A tight hamstring kept the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner on the sidelines in Hong Kong along with Uruguayan forward and former Barcelona teammate Luis Suarez.
Messi played the final seven minutes of their defeat to Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia on Thursday after reports emerged before the game that he'd been for an MRI scan on a suspected injury.
Despite that, Messi had been heavily advertised both when tickets went on sale and in the build-up to the game and when tickets went on sale.
There were chants of 'We want Messi' midway through the second half but he just watched on from the bench.
One fan admitted she 'felt like a fool' after her partner paid $280 each for them to be in attendance.
'I've been waiting almost ten years to see him,' Total Ling Pak-to said. 'This is a rare opportunity to see him because he might be retiring soon. We are very disappointed.'
One fan, who paid $200 for his ticket, even flew in from Melbourne to catch a glimpse of Messi.
'I flew from Melbourne for this,' said Marco Hu Kim-ming. 'We waited a long time but he never showed up. I'm disappointed.'
Another fan, who forked out $460, was also furious. Antony Osazee said: 'I came for the training and just saw him doing stretches. Messi isn't a supermodel. People don't pay just to watch him sit.'
The Hong Kong government has even issued a statement, vowing to take 'actions' against the organizers of the game after providing grants worth $2m for the game to take place.
It read: 'Regarding Messi not playing the match day, the Government, as well as all football fans, are extremely disappointed about the organizer's arrangement.
'The organizer owes all football fans an explanation. The Major Sports Events Committee will take follow-up action 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.'
Beckham, the president and co-owner of the American soccer franchise, greeted the 40,000-strong crowd after the game and thanked them for their 'incredible welcome' following Inter Miami's 4-1 win over a Hong Kong XI.
But the Manchester United and England was roundly booed during his speech after fans paid as much as $460 for a glimpse of Messi in action.
There was always a chance he would not feature due to injury but fans snapped up all 40,000 tickets at Hong Kong Stadium within an hour when they went on sale in December.
It was reportedly made clear to fans when they purchased tickets that there would be no refunds issued if Messi didn't play.
A tight hamstring kept the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner on the sidelines in Hong Kong along with Uruguayan forward and former Barcelona teammate Luis Suarez.
Messi played the final seven minutes of their defeat to Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia on Thursday after reports emerged before the game that he'd been for an MRI scan on a suspected injury.
Despite that, Messi had been heavily advertised both when tickets went on sale and in the build-up to the game and when tickets went on sale.
There were chants of 'We want Messi' midway through the second half but he just watched on from the bench.
One fan admitted she 'felt like a fool' after her partner paid $280 each for them to be in attendance.
'I've been waiting almost ten years to see him,' Total Ling Pak-to said. 'This is a rare opportunity to see him because he might be retiring soon. We are very disappointed.'
One fan, who paid $200 for his ticket, even flew in from Melbourne to catch a glimpse of Messi.
'I flew from Melbourne for this,' said Marco Hu Kim-ming. 'We waited a long time but he never showed up. I'm disappointed.'
Another fan, who forked out $460, was also furious. Antony Osazee said: 'I came for the training and just saw him doing stretches. Messi isn't a supermodel. People don't pay just to watch him sit.'
The Hong Kong government has even issued a statement, vowing to take 'actions' against the organizers of the game after providing grants worth $2m for the game to take place.
It read: 'Regarding Messi not playing the match day, the Government, as well as all football fans, are extremely disappointed about the organizer's arrangement.
'The organizer owes all football fans an explanation. The Major Sports Events Committee will take follow-up action 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.'