Fans boo David Beckham and Lionel Messi after Argentine sits out Inter Miami friendly in Hong Kong

Fans booed David Beckham and Lionel Messi after the Argentine didn’t play in Inter Miami’s friendly.

The World Cup-winning captain, who has a hamstring strain, was rooted to the bench while the MLS side beat a Hong Kong XI 4-1, causing fans to boo when realising they wouldn’t see the superstar play.

Over 38,000 fans packed the stadium after tickets for the match sold out in under an hour when going on sale in December.

Many had paid upwards of 1,000 Hong Kong Dollars (£101), and some paying five times more than that. Fans are now demanding a refund.

The Hong Kong government said organizers owed fans an explanation, adding that they were “extremely disappointed” about Messi’s exclusion due to injury.