New chairman vows to fight HK stadium rental increase

NEWLY-ELECTED Hongkong Football Association chairman Stewart Lee Leung-nang last night slammed the Urban Council Board of Governors for pricing soccer out of the Hongkong Stadium.

Lee, who took over the chairmanship from Victor Hui Chun-fui at the FA's annual meeting, said his top priority would be to negotiate lower rental fees at the 40,000-seat venue.

Daily rental of the arena, now under reconstruction and due to open next March, will cost either $150,000 per day or 20 per cent of ticket sales, whichever is higher.

Lee described the price set by the nine-member Board of Governors, comprising representatives from the Urban Council and Wembley, the company hired to manage the stadium, as ''outrageously high'' and ''totally unacceptable''.

''There is no democracy in the way the board handled the pricing of the stadium's rental fees because they have never consulted any of the sports associations who may be using this venue,'' said an angry Lee.

''They will only be knocking all sporting activities out of the stadium and it really is a shame because the venue is being rebuilt with Hongkong people's money, although it comes in the form of a Jockey Club donation.

''There is no way we can afford such charges and the first thing I'll do as chairman of the association will be to meet members of this board and bargain for lower rental fees for soccer games.'' Lee, a senior civil servant, said the FA was previously the biggest user of the Hongkong Stadium with more than 40 matches scheduled there each year.