A football legend's no-show at an exhibition match and the sudden closure of a local gym chain have mostly contributed to the rise of complaints filed to Hong Kong's consumer watchdog over the past year.

The Consumer Council on Monday said it received 40,839 complaints in total last year, up 20 percent from 2023.

Excluding complaints regarding mainland online shopping platforms, the figure stood at 37,590 in 2024.

"The increase was mainly due to two disputes during the year which raised widespread public concern and affected many consumers, including [Lionel] Messi's controversial non-appearance at an exhibition match in February, as well as the abrupt closure of the Physical Fitness chain in September," it said.

Complaints arising from the two incidents involved about HK$210 million, the watchdog said.

There were 1,476 complaints relating to Messi and another 5,619 about the fitness chain.

The council said "food and entertainment services" remained the category that received the most complaints for the third straight year, with 5,810 cases involving over HK$15.2 million.

Food and entertainment-related complaints "still accounted for the lion's share" overall even after excluding certain incidents like Messi's no-show and Physical Fitness' closure, the body added.

Overall, the watchdog noted the SAR was affected by a number of factors such as the global economic downturn, the boom in the digital economy, the trend of northbound travel, and the resumption of the multi-entry visa scheme for Shenzhen residents.

"While new traders entered the market, industries were faced with unprecedented opportunities and challenges, and some businesses made the difficult decision to close down, resulting in a surge in related consumer complaints," it said.

The council urged businesses to "promptly improve the quality of services and goods" to be more competitive and appealing, to stimulate people's desire to spend.