MIAMI — The organizer of the Inter Miami game in Hong Kong on Sunday where fans booed Lionel Messi for not playing announced on Friday that it will issue a 50% refund to ticket holders, which will amount to $7.2 million.

Tickets sold for as high as $624 for the exhibition game and it was attended by nearly 40,000 people, many of whom wore Messi No. 10 jerseys. Messi’s absence drew the ire of the Hong Kong fans, who began chanting “Refund! Refund!” when it became apparent that he would not play.

Messi had been hampered by a hip adductor injury and explained in a news conference a day after the Hong Kong game that he lamented not being able to play, but that he was feeling discomfort, and it would have been extremely difficult for him to play. He did attend the open training session a day before the match, in front of 40,000 fans, and participated in a charity clinic with Hong Kong children.

Inter Miami coach Tata Martino expressed regrets immediately after the game, saying Messi fully intended to play and wanted to play but was not feeling up to it and the team’s medical staff advised him to sit out.

Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham went onto the field immediately after the game and addressed the angry crowd at Hong Kong Stadium. He was jeered.

Pressure mounted on the promoter, Tatler Asia, to offer a refund, especially after Messi played the final 30 minutes of Inter Miami’s game in Tokyo three days later.

“An event that we had hoped to be the pride of the city, and which we have worked very hard on for months, has become the source of great heartbreak,” the statement read. “But we are also heartbroken. We put our blood and sweat into bringing a world-class football match to Hong Kong, and we were let down along with all of you.”

The promoter claimed that Inter Miami had committed under contract that their marquee players Messi, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez, would be required to play for 45 minutes unless injured. Messi and Suarez sat out with injuries. Both played in Tokyo.

“Fans come to see a football game and star players, and injuries are part of the game,” the statement said. “But what upsets us was the seeming lack of respect shown to the crowd. When we learned that Messi would not be playing, we pleaded with Inter Miami CF ownership and management to urge him to stand up, engage with the spectators and explain why he couldn’t play. He didn’t. The fact that Messi and Suarez played in Japan on Feb. 7 feels like another slap in the face.”

Inter Miami further apologized in a statement sent to the Miami Herald on Friday.

It read: “Despite our best intentions, we understand there has been disappointment over the absence of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in Sunday’s match and we are sorry that the two players could not participate. We also recognize that the late decision caused frustration among our Hong Kong supporters and the event promoter, Tatler Asia. We do feel it necessary to express that injuries are unfortunately a part of the beautiful game, and our player’s health must always come first.

“We also want to reassure you that the players that represent our club always want to play, as you heard from Messi in Tuesday’s press conference in Tokyo. On Sunday, the club opted to make a game-time decision. Doing this offered the largest window of time to allow for the chance that the two players could be made available for selection. The goal was always for them to play, which was why they were both included in the initial roster that was submitted to the promoter prior to the match. We could have ruled out the players before but with our best intentions we waited until the last moments, which further emphasizes our commitment to try everything possible.”

The statement added that Messi did not go out to warmups because he was still being assessed in the locker room just before the match and the medical team deemed it was too risky for him to play.

“As we continue to consume the headlines and negativity toward the different stakeholders, we felt compelled to reiterate the reality of these types of sports injuries,” the statement said.

The Argentine national team was scheduled to travel to China for exhibition games against Nigeria and Ivory Coast in March. It is unknown if Messi was planning to participate, as the MLS season will have just begun. On Friday Chinese sports authorities announced they had canceled the Argentina vs. Nigeria game in Hangzhou amid the situation with Messi and Inter Miami in Hong Kong. There was no word on the Argentina vs. Ivory Coast match to be played in Beijing.

Inter Miami has one preseason game remaining, at home Feb. 15 against Argentine club Newell’s Old Boys, the hometown team of Messi and Martino. Tickets are on sale at intermiamicf.com.

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