Hong Kong's sports minister has claimed to be given reassurances that Lionel Messi would play in Inter Miami's friendly in the city amid controversy over the fixture.
Tens of thousands of fans expected to see the World Cup-winning captain take part in Sunday's pre-season match against a Hong Kong XI after he was named among the Miami substitutes.
But the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, who has a leg injury, stayed on the bench throughout his club's 4-1 win.
'One of the key terms of our funding agreement with (organizers) Tatler Asia was for Messi to participate in the match for at least 45 minutes, subject to fitness and safety considerations,' Kevin Yeung, Hong Kong's secretary for culture, sports and tourism said at a news conference on Monday, adding that government officials had been repeatedly told that Messi would play.
Fans chanted 'Refund!', gave thumbs-down signs and drowned out Miami co-owner David Beckham with booing as he tried to thank the crowd after the final whistle.
The near-capacity crowd of 38,323 had paid upwards of 1,000 Hong Kong dollars ($125) to see Messi.
Hong Kong government officials were informed that Messi's injury - inflammation of an abductor muscle - would keep him out of the match with 10 minutes to go in Sunday's game.
'We immediately requested them to explore other remedies, such as Messi appearing on the field to interact with his fans and receiving the trophy,' Yeung said.
'Unfortunately, as you all see, this did not work out.'
Yeung warned that up to 16million Hong Kong dollars of public money could be withheld from the organizers.
'We haven't paid any money yet. In the coming weeks we will further liaise with the organizer Tatler Asia. We will discuss the performance of the whole event and we will make a decision on how to deal with the sponsorship.'
Tatler Asia issued a statement late Sunday expressing their 'extreme disappointment' that Messi did not play.
'Despite some news reports, Tatler did not have any information about the non-participation,' it said.
Inter Miami and Messi are due to play the final pre-season match of their tour against Japan's Vissel Kobe in Tokyo on Wednesday. It is not clear whether Messi will recover in time.
The 36-year-old had played just six minutes in Miami's previous match in Saudi Arabia. The new MLS season in the United States starts on February 21.