Tatler Asia chairman and CEO Michel Lamuniere said that Messi was among the list of players submitted by the team’s management. He added he was only told late in the second-half of the match that Messi was unfit to play.

“Tatler Asia promoted Tatler XFEST Hong Kong under a contractual agreement with Inter Miami CF that marquee players Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, and any additional highly recognised players that joined the club before the game, which applied to Luis Suarez, would play unless injured,” Lamuniere said.

“Tatler Asia deeply regrets the disappointing ending to what was an exciting occasion and has decided to officially withdraw its application for the M Mark and the HK$16 million government grant.

“On Sunday, before kick-off, the official team sheet, a list of the players who are available to play in the game, which was submitted by the Inter Miami CF team and signed by the Head Coach Gerardo Martino, showed Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez as substitutes and therefore fit to play.”

Lamuniere added that Tatler Asia expected Suarez and Messi would take to the field at some point in the match.

Fans bemoan wasted chance to see Messi play at high-profile Hong Kong game

But he said that Tatler Asia was informed at halftime by Inter Miami management that Messi could not play because of an injury and the government was immediately informed.

“Tatler Asia subsequently spent the second half urging the Inter Miami CF leadership to instruct Messi to address the fans, to no avail.”

Lamuniere stopped short of mentioning any refund arrangements and ended the press conference without taking questions from reporters.

Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yun-hung said Tatler Asia’s decision to give up the M Mark status and the application for the government funding had not entirely resolved the matter.

“The government will continue to follow up the matter, and the organiser should deal with consumers’ demands,” he said.

Yeung earlier promised authorities would review a ranking for major sports events that determined whether organisers would get extra funding and support.

02:28

Messi mania as football superstar arrives in Hong Kong

Messi mania as football superstar arrives in Hong Kong

The Major Sports Events Committee, a government advisory body, gave Sunday’s friendly “M” Mark status – a major sporting event eligible for official backing and funding. The organiser was given HK$15 million in funds for the match and a HK$1 million venue subsidy.

Yeung said the funds had not yet been given to the organiser and Tatler Asia’s performance would be discussed before a decision on the sponsorship was made.

Tatler Asia, a regional luxury media brand, is part of the Lamuniere family-owned empire based in Switzerland’s Lausanne and spans media, real estate and e-commerce.

Yeung added that officials had not had direct contact with Inter Miami, captained by the 36-year-old Messi, about the club’s visit and Sunday’s match.

Messi’s Hong Kong no-show: what contract said, when government knew, any refund?

Tatler Asia had told the government that Messi would play in the second half of the game, Yeung said.

He added the luxury lifestyle platform’s contract with the government required the top footballer to play for at least 45 minutes, unless he was ill or injured.

Officials asked Tatler Asia twice during the match about when Messi would take to the field and were only told he would stay on the bench because of an injury just 10 minutes before the game ended.

“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.”

He added the government had no idea of the severity of Messi’s injuries or about the decision to leave him on the bench.

“If you are talking about injuries, we cannot tell well in advance whether a particular player can play unless it is very serious, so in this particular case, we will follow up with Tatler Asia,” Yeung said. “At this stage, we cannot tell for sure the real arrangement between the two parties.

“We will take into account the experience of this incident and we will work with the Major Sports Events Committee to further improve our ‘M’ Mark system. We will continue our efforts to promote more major events to be held in Hong Kong.”

A government source told the Post that Inter Miami had also cancelled its tour of Kai Tak Sports Park on Monday morning.

The club will head to Japan later this week to play against Vissel Kobe in Japan on Wednesday. The team promoted the game on social media on Monday.

Greatest let-down of all time? Messi fury sparks plea for Hong Kong’s forgiveness

The Consumer Council said it had fielded 56 complaints by 5.30pm on Monday, about 73 per cent of them from Hongkongers and the rest from visitors, with the total involving HK$319,763.

The average complaint totalled HK$5,710 and the largest amount involved HK$22,338. The council said consumers should retain their receipts or tickets for any future claims.

Hong Kong customs has received 18 complaints and is examining them under the provisions of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance.

Ronny Tong Ka-wah, a member of the Executive Council, the city’s key decision-making body, said that when similar events arose in future, the government needed to have greater influence to reflect the audience’s expectations in contractual negotiations.

“When a promoter signs a contract, the government should ensure the organisers indicate what injuries the players have,” he added. “When Messi failed to deliver, they should have made him hold a press conference to explain his situation.”

Lawmaker Kenneth Fok Kai-kong, who represents the sports, performing arts and culture sector, on Sunday night said the organiser and Inter Miami “owed an apology and explanation to the Hong Kong people”.

Fok, who is also vice-president of the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, said Tatler Asia had used Messi extensively to promote the match at Hong Kong Stadium.

“Despite Messi’s absence, the Inter Miami team, which demanded exorbitant fees for their visit to Hong Kong, failed to enhance interaction and communication with the public through other means to satisfy the expectations and support of the citizens,” he added.

Fok said the club’s attitude was disrespectful and unacceptable.

Gerardo Martino, the Inter Miami coach, on Sunday said Messi had sat out the game because of an inflamed hamstring and that the team had been monitoring his health for several days.

Messi accused of not caring about Hong Kong as Chinese social media blasts Miami

Tens of thousands of fans, many of whom flew in from mainland China and elsewhere in Asia, had spent large sums to watch Messi play, but left disappointed and demanding a refund.

Some waited overnight outside the team’s hotel after the game and two angry fans got into a confrontation with hotel staff when they tried to enter a restricted area.

The Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel Hong Kong said police were handling the incident.

The hotel had a heightened security presence on Monday morning, with two police vehicles stationed outside and about a dozen officers patrolling the grounds. The team left the hotel at about 2pm.

Lobo Louie Hung-tak, the associate head of the health and physical education department at the Education University of Hong Kong, said he felt the team had acted arrogantly and that the event was poorly organised.

“[Messi] did not even wear his jersey to go on the field. We are not talking about seeing him pass the ball or do his signature move, but he did not even do the basic performative actions expected of a friendly match,” he said.

“Messi not playing felt more like an excuse. He can afford to walk around and wave from the field and his injury is not so severe that he needed crutches.”

Tatler said on Sunday night it had not known that Messi or Luis Suarez would not play, and added it shared fans’ “extreme disappointment”.

The government issued two statements on Sunday night and demanded answers from the organiser.

Messi’s Hong Kong trip was a disaster. How long will it take to live it down?

It also threatened to take back some of the millions it spent on sponsoring the mega event, which is part of a wider campaign to raise Hong Kong’s international profile.

Lawmaker Johnny Ng Kit-chung, who sits on the Legislative Council’s culture panel, on Monday said the organiser should clearly explain the follow-up arrangements and whether the contract stipulated Messi should play for at least 45 minutes.

“The government is also a victim as we hoped to attract more tourists with these events,” he said.

He highlighted Cristiano Ronaldo, a former Manchester United and Real Madrid star and Portuguese internationalist, who made a decision last month to sit out two friendly matches in Shenzhen for health reasons.

The organiser postponed the games and refunded fans their ticket, hotel and air fees.

Lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun said the fiasco on Sunday was “outrageous” and had struck a blow to Hong Kong’s reputation as a centre for mega-events.

“The government must explore a rebuttal to the escape clause to protect themselves. Even if they say he is injured and cannot play, they should include terms that unless he is bedridden, he has to do a bare minimum,” he said.

Tien also warned that many people had the impression Hong Kong was incapable of hosting major events after thousands of mainland tourists were left stranded for hours at the border following the New Year’s Eve fireworks celebration.

Fellow legislator Peter Shiu Ka-fai, who represents the wholesale and retail sector, noted Sunday’s match had helped to boost retail and catering business in Causeway Bay by 20 to 30 per cent.

Shiu added that he believed such mega events were beneficial for the local economy, but the government should scrutinise their management, especially if they were publicly funded.

Additional reporting by Lo Hoi-ying, Denise Tsang and Danny Mok