HONG KONG -- Boos rang out after soccer superstar Lionel Messi sat out a much hyped exhibition match at Hong Kong Stadium, dampening the government's latest effort to revitalize the stuttering economy through high-profile events.
Around 40,000 fans, who paid premium prices for tickets that ranged from 880 to 4,880 Hong Kong dollars ($112 to $624), chanted "refund" after the game between Messi's Inter Miami and Hong Kong XI on Sunday.