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發表於 2009-2-20 19:33:33
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HK clubs hang on to ACL hopes
HONG KONG: There was a time when Hong Kong was among the stronger footballing teams in East Asia.
Indeed, the territory’s Cheung Chi-doy became one of the first players from Asia to play in England’s elite division when he joined Blackpool in 1959 for a two-game stint.
These days, though, the former British colony’s national team and clubs are languishing at the lower end of the second tier.
This is a situation the Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) finds unacceptable and changes are afoot to restore their pride.
The HKFA wants its clubs to be a part of the revamped AFC Champions League (ACL). However, a lack of stadiums and attendance are proving to be major obstacles.
ACL criteria require each club to have their own stadium, or guarantee the use of quality stadiums, with a minimum average attendance for the matches.
This situation is unlikely in Hong Kong, according to HKFA Deputy General Secretary Lam Shing-kui.
“There are only two clubs with their own stadiums,” Lam told the-afc.com. “Almost all the other stadiums are owned by the government.
“If we don't have the financial support from the government or the private sector, we don't even have fields to play on. We need at least two months in advance to book stadiums for the league and cup matches.”
Mongkok Stadium, the urban facility that stages most league matches, is to double its capacity to more than 16,000 and new programmes to develop youth players are already underway.
Recently, Hong Kong defeated AFC Challenge Cup winners India in a friendly match.
The territory’s most famous victory remains their 2-1 win over China in Beijing in 1985 that eliminated the Chinese from the FIFA World Cup 1986 qualifying campaign.
This year Hong Kong clubs South China and Eastern are playing in the AFC Cup, which is for second-tier teams. Lam wants to see local clubs battling with J.League, K-League and A-League teams in the ACL.
“Our players are technically sound and intelligent,” he said. “We can play with anyone in Asia, but we need time to develop our youth players.
“I am not the one who likes to sit in the comfort zone and feel satisfied playing in the lower-ranked AFC Cup. What is better than playing in the prestigious ACL?
“Sadly this won't be happen in HK in the near future unless we have support from all sides.”
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