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Lawmaker Michael Luk Chung-hung urged the Legislative Council to set up regulations regarding the grants for "M" Mark events after the Messi incident on Sunday.
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Luk sent a letter to the Panel on Home Affairs, Culture, and Sports on Monday, suggesting the Panel evaluate the need to establish regulatory standards for mega events' grants and explain the details.
The "M" Mark System is launched by the government to support the staging of major sports events in the city.
Luk stated that despite the friendly match between the Hong Kong team and Inter Miami having been awarded "M" Mark status and granted HK$16 million subsidy, the ticket price still reached HK$4880, doubling the cost of Inter Miami's Japan exhibition match tickets.
He added that the management mishap of the organizer, Tatler Asia, has deeply disappointed the fans and Hongkongers.
The lawmaker noted that the FIA World Rallycross Championship - held back in November 2023 - was also given the "M" Mark grant of HK$15 million along with a HK$2 million venue grant, but still ran into issues of delays, and the racecourse was shortened by around 800 meters.
Luk believes it is necessary to regulate the funds for the M Mark events and set up supervision and accountability mechanisms, as the industry is worried that repeated failures in large-scale events will leave Hong Kong with a notorious reputation.
