Chants of “We want Messi” rang out around the stadium as disappointed fans said they felt betrayed by the organisers.

Lionel Messi’s three days of adoration in Hong Kong ended in heartbreak for his fans when the Argentine did not play in Inter Miami’s 4-1 win over a local league team in a friendly match played during the US club’s pre-season tour entered the field.

Spectators chanted “refund” and the Hong Kong government said match organizers Tatler Asia may face a funding cut after Messi was left on the bench during Sunday’s match.

The World Cup-winning captain, who is suffering from a hamstring strain, remained rooted to the bench throughout the game. It triggered a tantrum from the near-capacity crowd of 38,323 who had paid more than 1,000 Hong Kong dollars ($125) to see their hero, in many cases five times that amount.

Midway through the second half, chants of “We want Messi” rang out at Hong Kong Stadium from fans desperate to see one of the greatest footballers of his generation in the much-hyped friendly.

The booing grew louder in the final ten minutes as it became clear that the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner would not even make a brief appearance.

The jeers came to a head at the final whistle, with Miami co-owner David Beckham being drowned out by boos as he tried to thank the crowd for “their incredible support” while fans expressed their anger with downward gestures .

The Major Sports Events Committee (MSEC) has allocated HK$15 million ($1.92 million) for the event as well as a HK$1 million ($127,854) subsidy for the venue, the government said with an explanation.

“With Messi unable to play the match today, the government and all football fans are extremely disappointed with the organizers’ agreement. “The organizer owes all football fans an explanation,” it said.

“The MSEC will take follow-up action with the organizer in accordance with the terms and conditions, including a reduction in the funding amount due to the fact that Messi did not play the match.”

Organizers said they expected Messi and his former Barcelona teammate, Uruguayan Luis Suárez, to play and were extremely disappointed that they did not feature in the game.

“Despite some news reports, Tatler had no information about Messi or Suarez’s non-participation before kick-off,” it said in a statement.

“Messi and Suarez were deemed unfit to play by their team’s medical department, which led to the disappointment of everyone, including us.”

‘I feel cheated’

“I’m just really disappointed,” fan Jonathan Wong told AFP.

“Everyone is here to see Messi, so I feel a bit cheated.

“Without him, it’s like a normal Hong Kong Premier League game where a ticket only costs 80 Hong Kong dollars.” [$11]. This time we paid 5,000 Hong Kong dollars [$625].”

Miami coach Gerardo Martino said the club’s medical team made the decision after an examination Sunday morning.

“We understand the fans’ disappointment at Leo’s absence [Messi] and we ask for their forgiveness,” Martino told reporters.

“We would have liked to send Leo on for a while, but the risk was too great.”

It was a bitter end to the days of Hong Kong “Messi-mania”.

Tens of thousands came to watch him train on Saturday as he did little more than jog and stretch.

The team hotel was besieged by hundreds of fans trying to catch a glimpse of their hero, and a traditional junk boat cruised Victoria Harbor with Messi’s face emblazoned on its sails.

Messi can expect similar scenes in Tokyo when Miami continues its pre-season tour with a friendly against J-League champions Vissel Kobe on Wednesday.