Jeers for Beckham as he vows to bring Miami back
Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham faced a torrent of jeers on the Hong Kong Stadium pitch on Sunday as he vowed to bring the American club back to the SAR after superstar Lionel Messi missed their friendly against a local eleven. Fans booed as Beckham, a former England captain and one of the stars of the world game during his playing days, was introduced to the crowd following the match. "We have always loved, I have always loved Hong Kong," Beckham said. "Thank you very much for the incredible welcome and we look forward to coming back one day to entertain you even more." He thanked the spectators in the stadium, adding: "It means a lot, because to see these great players play inspires a lot of young children in this country and around the world. "Hong Kong thank you very much and we will see you soon." Beckham did not mention the absence of Messi and fellow star Luis Suarez, neither of whom played any part in the 4-1 victory. Speaking after the match, the Hong Kong coach, Jorn Andersen, wouldn't be drawn on Messi's absence. "For both sides, I don't focus on nothing else but my team today. I know we played against Inter Miami, but I have no comments about what happened with Messi," he told a media conference. Andersen revealed his side, made up of local and foreign players from the SAR's top flight, only had one day of preparation before taking on the American giants. He was pleased with their work in the first half, where the score was 1-1, before a raft of changes at the break. "We didn't play with the same energy, the same conditions in the second half as in the first half," he said. "And then you see we get some goals against us. "But it doesn't matter today. It was a show game. It was a great game for every player on the field." The government has asked the organisers to explain Messi's absence, and said it may seek to claw back some of the HK$16 million it put in to support the fixture.