Hong Kong Football Thread (R)

This has been confirmed over at The Guardian. I was surprised when I read about this in this thread a couple of days ago and thought it would never happen and, voila, he's signing!

Any idea about the contract he's signing, how long he'll be with South China, etc. I hope he comes in with a good attitude and works hard as a lot of times big name signings (all over the world) come in and think that they're doing a favour for the club by even showing up for training.

I'm really surprised that he's at South China and didn't sign for a team in Australia, the K-League or somewhere in the Middle East. Undoubtedly a coup for Hong Kong football.

 

http://www.goal.com/en/news/1137/asians-in-europe/2010/01/16/1747177/seol-ki-hyeon-leaves-fulham-and-is-set-for-korea-move

 

http://www.goal.com/en/news/14/asia...rborough-united-sign-hong-kong-wonderkid-mark

 

Steven Lo just confirmed on his blog that Seol Ki-Hyeon is not joining South China and the matter is closed.

Ironically, Seol Ki-Hyeon has signed a one year contract with Pohang Steelers, who will play in the Lunar New Year Cup in Hong Kong against Kitchee.

 

Lunar New Year Cup will be played on 18 Feb. Kitchee, Pohang Steelers and TSW Pegasus Invitational Team will take part. South China's foreign players will join TSW Pegasus. The three teams will play each other for 45 minutes.

5:30pm
Kitchee U11 vs Pohang Steelers U11

7:00pm
Kitchee vs Pohang Steelers 45min
TSW Pegasus vs Pohang Steelers 45min
Kitchee vs TSW Pegasus 45 min.

Tickets $40 (students & seniors), $100 (non-designated seats), $150 (designated seats). It will be available for sale online from 27th Jan.

 

http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/sport/football/687541/LOAN-DEAL-ON-TABLE-FOR-ROVERS-RIGTERS.html

News of the World reports that Maceo Rigters has been offered a loan deal by HK's South China. Steven Lo also revealed on his blog that he is negotiating with an EPL club about a striker and the result will be known this week.

 

Steven Lo revealed on his blog that he in fact approached three players: Maceo Rigters, Hull City's Daniel Cousin and Fulham's Adnranik Teymourian. All three turned him down as none of them want to play in HK League or AFC Cup.

South China will settle for T. Schutz, Leo and Sidrailson as the three foreign players in the AFC Cup for the early stages which should conclude by May. Steven Lo will look again in the summer.

 

Apple Daily reported that the Hong Kong Football Association is in deep financial trouble. When former chairman Martin Hong left his post to Brian Leung Hung Tak, the HKFA had HK$11million in its coffers. But the 2008 Lunar New Year Cup was disastrous financially, made a HK$4million loss for the HKFA. It then made another loss in 2009.

All the board members have to pay up to get prize money for Hong Kong national team players. There were prize monies from the EAFF championship and HK$5milion from Japan FA for the change of playing time in the AFC Asian Cup qualifier, but all that was still not enough.

My opinion is that Brian Leung is the biggest culprit. He knows nothing about the local market and organized the poorly attended new year cup which resulted in all this mess that he now finds himself buried into.

 

Kitchee's Ken Ng and South China's Steven Lo are both in the finance committee to help sort out the mess. Kitchee took over the organization and financial risks of the Lunar New Year Cup, while Steven Lo and Brian Leung himself are paying all the HK national team's expenses to compete in EAFF and Asian Cup qualifiers. HKFA President Timothy Fok paid for HK team's expenses in the Guangdong-HK Cup as well.

Brian Leung said the budget for 2010 was HK$23million, now that so many are paying up, HKFA has saved a lot of money, but it is still struggling to make ends meet. A strong showing by HK national team in EAFF will help because there is more prize money. But long term, I cannot see how HKFA can survive under the current regime.

Brian Leung was the big mouth who promised big things for HK football when he ran for chairman. Things like more prize money in local competitions and forming a team to join CSL...etc. NOTHING has been realized. He can't even come up with a logo for the HK 1st division league.

HKFA under Brian Leung is probably one of the worst run FAs in the world.

 

I am surprise HKFA reserves are allowed to be used up although the amount is quite small as FAS have reserves of S$23 millions (HK$115 millions) & it is untouchable as it is meant for really bad times.

It cnnt be used to cover the holes like HK New Year Cup

 

For something a little more positive. Hong Kong's only export Ng Wai-Chiu was made captain of Hangzhou Greentown in a friendly against Shanghai Shenhua yesterday and he celebrated by scoring a goal and helped Greentown win 2:1.

Because of that he missed HK national team's training yesterday. Steven Lo and Brian Leung said they would pay all the bonuses out of their own pockets to the HK national team players, while the prize money from the EAFF will go to HKFA coffers. (Even 4th place in the EAFF gets US$150,000 prize money.)

 

Shatin SA, under new coach Dejan Antonic, draws with TSW Pegasus 1:1 today at home.

Kitchee though suffered a humilitating home defeat at the feet of Wofoo Tai Po, score was 1:2.

Since both TSW Pegasus and Kitchee lost points today, it opens the way for South China to go top tomorrow when they play away at Happy Valley AA. It won't be easy though as Kowloon Bay Park is narrow and easy to defend.

 

Fourway Rangers 0:0 Citizen AA.

Happy Valley AA 2:6 South China (Chan Siu-Ki scored 4 goals.)

South China are the league leaders at the half way stage. They have 19 points. Second is TSW Pegasus with 16 points; Kitchee is third with 15.

Chan Siu-Ki now takes the lead in the scoring charts with 12 goals. He is in great form as Hong Kong prepares for the EAFF in February.

 

Senior Silver Shield Final, South China 4:2 Kitchee

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rnhJiej4Ig"]YouTube- Senior Silver Shield Final - Kitchee 2:4 South China[/ame]

South China therefore already secures a place in the 2011 AFC Cup.

 

Next Magazine, HK's no.1 gossip magazine, has somehow managed to obtain the HKFA's books and disclosed a lot of financial information about Brian Leung's rein.

He spent HK$80,000/month to hire a prison officer to negotiate with the govt about building the TKO Football Training Centre, in the end it came to nothing and the guy quit.

Then he also spent HK$1million on a Hong Kong C team to prepare for East Asian Games and Olympics and whatever else, but this was all done without the board's approval.

Lunar New Year Cup's budget was $7million, with $6million sponsorship from Wing Lung Bank, with reasonable gate receipts it should be a profitable event, but in the end the whole budget went up to $11million and HKFA made a $4.76m loss.

HKFA is registered as a charity in HK and does not pay tax. But it has failed to submit its books to the Inland Revenue Dept for review and it might end up having to pay them. ( I guess the law is charities must submit their books if they want to be exempted.)

HKFA last month only had HK$240,000 in the bank and it was struggling to pay staff salaries. President Timothy Fok paid for the Guangdong-HK Cup expenses and Steven Lo is paying for HK team's prize money in the EAFF. (Judging by their performance against Korea I think Steven Lo can save a lot of money.) Any EAFF prize money will go to HKFA.

I think now someone on the inside is very discontent with Brian Leung and decided to blow this to the media at this critical time. The HK Govt sponsored study on HK football development will be ready in March. Next Magazine said the report will propose for a complete overhaul of HKFA, if not no subsidies will be granted.

 

Former Hong Kong national team striker and one of Hong Kong football's major icons, Wan Chi-Keung, died on 16th Feb 2010 aged 53. He has no children as he and his girlfriend Michelle Yim dated for 30 years but did not marry. He died due to organ deterioration after his long hard battle with cancer previously.



He was part of the Hong Kong national team that won in World Cup qualifiers in Singapore in 1977 and then the famous "519" victory over China in Beijing in 1985.

After his football career he acted in small parts in some films including "Infernal Affairs" (which was re-made into "The Departed" by Martin Scorsese) and started his own golfing business.

Before last night's Lunar New Year Cup, the participating teams observed a minute's silence for him.

 

Last night's Lunar New Year Cup was won by Pohang Steelers over Kitchee. Both teams beat TSW Pegasus by 2-1 and 1-0 respectively. They then drew 1-1 between themselves. Pohang won by scoring one more goal.

4,922 people attended the game, a big drop over previous editions. Kitchee's Mr. Ken Ng claims he will lose HK$300,000 or so because of the poor turn out.

 

Citizen AA 1:1 South China
TSW Pegasus 2:1 Wofoo Tai Po
Fourway Rangers 2:1 Sunhei

Kitchee vs Tai Chung is postponed due to fire in the generator room at Siu Sai Wan Sports Ground.

Neither of our AFC Cup representatives won, it is worrying... Chan Siu Ki's ligament injury means he will not play against Muang Thong United this Wednesday.

 

It has been like that because of the East Asian Games (2009 Dec) and the East Asian Championship (2010 Feb). The league stopped to make way for them.

But most games are now played at the weekends because the league is not restricted to one stadium (Mongkok) any more.

 

Kitchee 2:0 Tai Chung.

Now the talk of the town is HKFA chairman Brian Leung's plan to enter a Hong Kong team in the Chinese league system by 2011. He claimed CFA will welcome the team's entry, though he hasn't revealed any information at all.

 

It may be a bad idea as it will drain funds from HKFA especially as it looked like they are the one funding that team

Few football team make $ & even fewer are from Asia.

The cost of sending a team to CSL or Jia A may blow another hole in HKFA coffers

I know as Spore own experience in Malaysia saw it blow a hole so deep that it left no choice but to set S-league as it was draining very ounce of funding from youth development to the domestic league