There is nothing anyone can do about HKFA's stupidity. AFC do not need any provoking they just react normally to stupid ideas.
HKFA Cup has found a sponsor, CODEX watches. Therefore the winner of the HKFA Cup will receive HK$100,000 prize money, 1st runner's up will also receive HK$40,000. The MVP in the final will receive HK$10,000. The CODEX HKFA Cup will kick off on 17 Dec with South China vs Wofoo Tai Po.
HKPL: Guangzhou R&F 1:0 Hong Kong FC. The bottom of the table clash at far away Siu Sai Wan surprisingly found 150 spectators and thus is not the lowest attendance of the season.
Kitchee proudly announces today that the Kitchee Academy will partner with Mr. David Villa to enhance its youth development program. Villa’s DV7 Soccer Academy will in the future provide the football curriculum for the Kitchee Academy. The curriculum will be updated in regular intervals to include modern and up-to-date football concepts and teaching material. This will enable the Kitchee youth coaching staff to provide a weekly or monthly systematic syllabus to the young footballers, so that the young players will gain exposure to a modern training methodology from more advanced football countries. The goal is to develop these young players to lead Hong Kong football to a higher level in the future. The focus of this cooperation is beyond simply the provision of a static (even though world-class) curriculum. The partnership aims to develop a vibrant pathway to transfer modern football knowledge and training methodology from more advanced football countries to Hong Kong. The foundation of the partnership is the adoption of the DV7 curriculum by the Kitchee Academy. More importantly, through the partnership, Kitchee will now receive regularly the latest football knowledge from advanced football countries and continues to improve how young players are trained in Hong Kong. Villa will meet the students at the Jockey Club Kitchee Centre later today and tomorrow for training.
Kim Dong-Jin (right) will join Kitchee in January. He previously played for Zenit St. Petersburg, Ulsan Hyundai, FC Seoul, Hangzhou Greentown and Muangthong United. He also represented South Korea 62 times.
Eastern signed Ng Wai Chiu, the former player of both Hong Kong National Team and Chinese Super League. However, he rarely played for the first team of Tianjin in the past year. I really doubt if he could help much for such highly competitive matches in the AFC Champions League group stage.
I think he is going to act as an assistant coach and be a reserve player in case anyone of the local players suffer an injury or suspension.
HKPL Hong Kong Pegasus 2:1 South China Macau striker Leung Ka-Hang scored his first goal for HK Pegasus and the winning goal.
South China Morning Post Eastern to face Guangzhou Evergrande in 2017 AFC Champions League Hong Kong champions will take on the two-time champions as they make their debut in the top-tier regional competition with coach Chan Yuen-ting given an extremely tough initiation Chan Kin-wa Eastern could not have asked for a more difficult match-up in their introduction to the 2017 AFC Champions League: they will play two-time champions Guangzhou Evergrande. After all that was said and done leading up to Tuesday’s draw in Kuala Lumpur regarding the Hong Kong champions off and then on again entry into Asia’s top-tier competition, the local side were given one of the toughest assignments they could have hoped for in the shape of the six-time Chinese Super League champions. Eastern had originally said they were not going to compete in the competition because they didn’t have the finances but then changed their mind, drawing rivals Kitchee, Southorn and the Hong Kong Football Association into a bitter war of words as to who was to blame for the eligibility fiasco. Now Eastern will have to contend with one of the continent’s regional powers after being drawn in group G, which also features Suwon Samsung Bluewings of South Korea and a team from Japan which will be decided after the Emperors' Cup final on January 1. Kitchee, the Playoff Cup winners, are also in the competition but must start in the second round of the qualifiers. They must beat visitors Hanoi T&T of Vietnam on January 31 before they travel to South Korea to meet Jeju United for a place in the main draw. Kitchee want the match postponed to February 1 as the date clashes with the Lunar New Year Cup final. It will also be a tough initiation for Eastern’s Chan Yuen-ting, the first woman coach to win a top-flight men’s soccer title last season. Chan, who has won multiple accolades, including the AFC Women’s Coach of the Year award earlier this month, will have to somehow inspire Eastern to pull off the improbable as she goes head-to-head with her counterpart, World Cup-winning Brazilian coach Luiz Felipe Scolari. Eastern’s draw with Guangzhou Evergrande – looking for their third continental title in five years – could evoke more anti-Chinese sentiment as it did during last year’s World Cup Asian zone qualifiers when Hong Kong drew both games against “big brother” China. Guangzhou Evergrande contain a number of China internationals. But Eastern executive director Peter Leung Shou-chi played down the rivalry, saying the World Cup qualifiers were long over and the players would be focused at the task at hand. “It’s all history [World Cup] and I don’t think there will be any hard feelings when the players meet again,” said Leung, who is in Thailand with his team on a training camp. “This is going to be our first Champions League appearance and I am sure there will be sufficient motivation for the players. Guangzhou are a classy side in the region as well. The two other clubs from South Korea and Japan will also be tough and it will be a big learning experience for Eastern.” Despite the tough draw, Leung said they had no plans to secure additional players during the forthcoming winter transfer window. They have recently signed former Hong Kong international Ng Wai-chiu after the defender completed his contract with China League One side Tianjin. Eastern want to play their home games at the 40,000-capacity Hong Kong Stadium and Leung said they would discuss arrangements with the Football Association.
The Standard Massive challenge - Trailblazer Chan and Eastern to face Evergrande in Asian showpiece Hong Kong trailblazer Chan Yuen-ting and her Eastern side face a baptism of fire in continental football after being drawn with Chinese giants Guangzhou Evergrande in the Asian Champions League. Chan, the first woman to coach a top- flight men's team to a league title, will face off against World Cup-winning Brazilian coach Luiz Felipe Scolari when Eastern travel to Guangzhou for their Group G opener on February 22. Suwon Samsung Bluewings of South Korea and a yet-to-be determined Japanese club complete the group. Hong Kong Football Association chief executive Mark Sutcliffe said having a domestic side compete in the Champions League group stage for the first time is a "major success story" that should make Hong Kong proud. He said he is excited about the "incredible story of a young rookie female coach pitting her wits against a former World Cup-winning coach in Scolari" and taking her team against a Guangzhou side valued at "close to US$300 million (HK$2.326 billion)! " Hong Kong may yet have two sides in the group stage should Kitchee get past the preliminary round. Kitchee take on Vietnamese side T&T Hanoi in the second round on January 31, with the winners going on to face South Korea's Jeju United in a playoff on February 7. Eastern club director Peter Leung Shou-chi said supporters can expect Chan, 28, and her team to give their best effort against tough opposition. Their club's chief concern at the moment is to get a venue for Eastern's home matches, Leung said, with a choice between Hong Kong Stadium and Mong Kok Stadium. In her debut season, Chan led Eastern to the Hong Kong Premier League title in April. She was honored with the AFC Women's Coach of the Year award for her achievement, which also landed her in the Guinness World Records. Holders Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors were drawn with A-League champions Adelaide United and Jiangsu.
Eastern SC's ACL schedule: 22 Feb Guangzhou Evergrande vs Eastern SC 1 Mar Eastern SC vs Japan 3 14 Mar Eastern SC vs Suwon Samsung Bluewings 12 Apr Suwon Samsung Bluewings vs Eastern SC 25 Apr Eastern SC vs Guangzhou Evergrande 9 May Japan 3 vs Eastern SC HK Stadium will host the HK Rugby Sevens from 7-9 April. They will let the pitch rest for one month before the rugby weekend. So I expect Eastern to be able to use the HK Stadium for the 1 Mar clash with the Japanese club. For 14 Mar match with Suwon Samsung Bluewings, Eastern have to go back to Mongkok Stadium. Then the big one against Guangzhou Evergrande should be okay to go back to HK Stadium. The pitch will have rested for two weeks since the rugby. I expect about 10,000 fans will attend if Eastern is already eliminated and over 20,000 if Eastern has a chance to progress.
The Mong Kong is the way to go. I would rather have a full stadium as opposed to 20,000 people in a 40,000 seat facility.
Even Taiwan and Guam managed to score two goals each against Hong Kong just a month ago, let's not forget also Qatar scored 3 goals against Hong Kong in Mongkok, too, which is more than they did at home when they won 2-0. At club level, Bengaluru also scored 3 goals against Kitchee in the AFC Cup last June. So I don't know how they can claim "Mongkok is better for the defense". It is total bullshxt. More popular? Last year Kitchee vs Eastern got 6,000+ fans in the Challenge Shield final at HK Stadium. This year top of the table Eastern vs Kitchee only got 3,800 fans. Mongkok being more popular is make believe not truth. Now because of the lower capacity, Eastern SC is charging HK$180 per match. I will never pay this kind of money to see a local club gets slaughtered.
Instead you will get 5,500 Guangzhou Evergrande fans against 1,000 fans in Mongkok. By 25 Apr I am sure Eastern SC will be out of the competition and not many local fans will enter the stadium. All tickets will be snapped up by Guangzhou fans. both through proper and improper channels.
South China Morning Post Finally, preparation work is under way for the first dedicated training centre for Hong Kong soccer After more than a decade of delay, the Tseung Kwan O Centre will become a reality by July 2017 After more than a decade of delay, preparation work is finally under way for the Tseung Kwan O Centre – the first ever dedicated training venue for Hong Kong soccer. Initial work for construction of the 21-hectare horseshoe-like facility in the Sai Kung District has recently started, said Hong Kong Football Association chief executive Mark Sutcliffe. It is expected to be completed by next July, when six standard-size pitches, three artificial and three natural, plus a fusal pitch, two mini five-a-side grounds and other support facilities such as an administration office, classrooms, gymnasium and changing rooms will become available. “We need a little time for the staff to be trained and the pitches to be established. We will be able to use the pitches at the start of the season in September,” said Sutcliffe in a briefing on Thursday. Hong Kong Football Association chief executive Mark Sutcliffe said: “We are incredibly excited about the project as it has taken a lot of time to get from the drawing board to the ground. “We are incredibly excited about the project as it has taken a lot of time to get from the drawing board to the ground. The training centre will make a massive difference to the HKFA for the work we do in terms of our elite players’ development but also for community use for schools and other groups.” The three grass pitches will be used exclusively for the Hong Kong representative teams from junior to senior levels and also the women’s teams, while two artificial pitches will be open for the public. The venue is on a 10-year lease with the government but Sutcliffe is confident the case of the Kitchee training centre will not be repeated. The government said it would take back the land of the Kitchee centre in Shek Mun for a public housing project after its four-year lease is due next year. “I am not concerned that the land will be taken away to use for something else as it is built on a former landfill site with a lot of constraints on what you can build on it. It can never be used for housing or other office buildings as far as I know,” said Sutcliffe. A provisional Hong Kong Jockey Club amount of HK$103 million was provided in 2005 for building the soccer training centre, but the project stalled over a design model, operation costs, government red tape for construction and many other obstacles. Sutcliffe did not want to give a final figure on the construction cost but it would be a project of over HK$100 million as the Jockey Club would provide all the required capital funding. An annual operations cost of up to HK$5 million is expected, which will be absorbed by the association’s budget, and a subsidiary company will run the centre.
So glad that the TKO training centre is finally under construction. It should be invaluable for HK team as they will be battling for a place in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup next year, especially in the second half of next year.
Itaparica returns to the HKPL. He signed a 1.5 year deal with Tai Po. http://news.mingpao.com/pns/dailynews/web_tc/article/20161218/s00015/1481997037105 (chinese)
KMB Yuen Long chairman Wong Wai-Shun said since Eastern Longlions will play in the AFC Champions League in 2017, the HK Jockey Club will not be able to accept bets on the competition, due to local football betting regulations. He said it is about time the betting regulations is reviewed. He opines that we can bet on some obscure leagues, so why not allow bets on local football? In return HKJC will grant more funding for local football clubs. I would also like to see HKJC open up for local football betting. But the funding format should come in the form of prize money for each local league match. If say HK$200,000 is awarded to the winner club of each league or cup match, HK$100,000 for a draw, then the chances of match fixing is already greatly reduced. The most effective way of fighting match fixing is to use big prize money which HKJC can easily afford.