I never hoped we could get lucky because there are no easy teams to play, considering we lost away to Malaysia and India, teams we used to consider as easier opponents. There are no easy opponents when we are as weak as we are. If we can get as many naturalized players into the team as possible then maybe we won't perform too badly, but then "some people" will be unhappy.
You know what, at least it'll be against some relatively new opponents and not the usuals, e.g. Malaysia, Uzbekistan, or the East Asian teams etc. Hopefully it'll mean more friendlies against these ME teams who bring a different style of play and level of physicality.
A 33-man preliminary squad has been named in which there is a first senior team call up for Rangers' Lam Hin Ting and Lee Man's Chang Hei Yin. Everton and Michael Udebuluzor are both absent from the list in which I assume that they are still awaiting for their HKSAR passports to be processed.
Additional quick thoughts: Li Ngai Hoi's poor showing in March, along with him seemingly injured or not in form for his CSL team, means he is no more Former Jorn favorite Jahangir Khan misses out again Will Leon Jones commit to HK for the long term, and will Oliver Gerbig be chosen? The return of the controversial Fat Gor, what do you all think about that? Does Shinichi's inclusion mean he is fully recovered? Ng Wai Him seems to have lost his 3rd GK position to Tse Ka Wing
Not too surprised that Li Ngai Hoi was going to be dropped considering his lack of form. Khan hasn't played much for Southern this season under Cheng Siu Chung which may had been a factor of him missing out on a spot. Has Jones recovered from his injury and will he feature for Eastern's final game against Sham Shui Po SA within a few days? As for Gerbig, I'd say he is still a work in progress but I would like to see Jorn Andersen start work with him. Whilst I am aware that Lam Hin Ting's disciplinary actions (especially being one of the thirteen players barred from representing the national team after an incident in Japan two years ago), he had been doing decently well for Rangers. I just hope that he can focus and prevent himself from causing further trouble if he were to make the cut. I'm wondering whether Shinichi had made a full recovery ever since he sustained an injury a few months ago and had he played for Real Union recently? Whilst I do believe that Ng still has an opportunity to represent the national team in the future, I think he will be more focused on preparing and representing the Under-23 side as they do have a hectic schedule this year with the 2024 AFC U23 qualifiers and the 2022 Asian Games football event.
I actually also am glad Andy Russell is back in the squad, though I'm not sure how much playing time he'll get. He is the only one that has some "fire" in him and can play a destroyer role... think Jermaine Jones for the USA. HK team is often too polite and friendly with the opposition, Russell evens the playing field a bit.
FA Cup final: Kitchee Vs BC Rangers - 7:1 Kitchee won the FA Cup trophy after thrashing BC Rangers by seven goals. In addition, this was Juninho's final game for BC Rangers as it has been confirmed that he will be joining Kitchee.
Sham Shui Po 0:4 Eastern FC Eastern finishes ahead of Southern District in 4th place in the HKPL. (If somehow Rangers fail to receive its ACL club license, Eastern will take their place.) Sham Shui Po coach Kenneth Kwok will leave the club. He said he is looking for other challenges.
Jorn Andersen was present during the Under-22 training session in which he confirmed that he invited Michael Udebuluzor (who has yet to recieve his HKSAR passport) to participate in the senior men's preliminary training session that will take place on June 5th. In addition, the Under-22 team will be playing two friendly fixtures away in June in preparation for their 2024 AFC U23 qualifiers and the 2022 Asian Games football event that will both take place in September. In other news, Division 1 side Central & Western who won the 2022/23 title are not looking to be promoted to the 2023/24 Hong Kong Premier League. BC Rangers who surprsingly finished 3rd in the Hong Kong Premier League drafted in former Chinese Taipei head coach Vom Ca Nhum as they have until Wednesday to show that they do meet the requirements to make their AFC Champions League debut. However, the club also faces a new challenge on whether they can retain their squad with Juninho already departed for Kitchee whilst Japanese midfielder Yumemi Kanda has already attracted interest overseas.
For Eastern, Bertomeu and Gondra are expected to leave. Wu Chun Ming was seen hugging all of his teammates goodbye yesterday as he's signed with Lee Man. Sun Ming Him was non-committal about his future, but if he does leave, I hope it will be for a club abroad. On the SSP side, Lo Kong Wai and Wong Tsz Chung already announced their departures on IG.
https://www.facebook.com/stayfoolishhk/photos/a.1597355337207273/3497377487205039 A facebook page reports that Hong Kong NT will play Turkmenistan and Macau in Sep, in preparation for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in Oct.
https://www.thestandard.com.hk/sect...11-footballers-snared-in-match-fixing-scandal 11 footballers snared in match-fixing scandal James Lee Twenty-three people including a coach and 11 footballers from Hong Kong's first division have been arrested by officers of the Independent Commission Against Corruption on suspicion of match-fixing. Principal investigator Kate Cheuk Chi-yan said the suspects - including almost half of the first division club Happy Valley Athletic Association, one of the oldest clubs in Hong Kong - were seen to be core members of a bookmaking syndicate that also included its mastermind. Players Ching Man-chun, Chan Ho-fung, Lui Man-tik and Brian Fok Bun-yan and a club coach, Chiu Kok-chiu, were among those arrested, it is understood. Each player allegedly received up to HK$10,000 for every fixed game in which they figured. And not only did players allegedly lose in games on purpose but also gained more money from illegal gambling, said Cheuk, who added that the ICAC believes the syndicate to have been smashed. Yesterday's operation was one the ICAC's largest match-fixing cases in recent years, involving the arrests of 22 men and a woman aged 25 to 36. Besides the 11 players and the coach 11 middlemen and bookmakers were snared. The investigation launched last year also showed the syndicate was involved in match-fixing during the latest season. Cheuk said each player earned at least several thousand dollars and up to HK$10,000 per game. Chief investigator Allen Leung Wing-hang said the commission found "suspected fraudulent activity and missteps" in 26 matches played this season. Of those matches Happy Valley won eight, drew five and lost 13. It placed 10th in the 14-team division. Leung said the syndicate would approach a team to discuss how to rig a game, and the syndicate would have footballers play badly to lose matches, including against weaker teams. Players would also place bets on outside betting websites and adjust how they played depending on the changes in odds. Outside bettors at the game would also communicate with players using coded movements, such as bending over and adjusting their socks or putting up the hoods of their sweatshirts. Players would then be "awarded" rewards based on performances. "The ICAC is committed to working closely with the Hong Kong Football Association to uphold the integrity of local football and to review anti-graft guidelines and hold corruption prevention seminars," Cheuk said. Hong Kong FA chairman Pui Kwan-kay did not comment on the investigation but said the football body will help authorities stamp out the problem "at all costs." He added: "I will support any action taken to nip [match-fixing] in the bud." Suggesting that football rigging has long been an issue, he remarked: "Over the years the masterminds have never been affected." In 2016 five players from Hong Kong club Pegasus and a bookmaker were arrested over rigging matches and taking bribes of more than HK$90,000. Coach Lee Wai-lim pleaded guilty, while former players Kwok Kin-pong, Cheng Lai-him, Chan Pak-hang and Lee Ka-ho were found not guilty as there was no evidence that missed shots and own goals in some matches were intentional. In 2014, Croatian footballer Sasa Mus of Happy Valley was imprisoned for 12 months after he was found guilty of fixing a match with Royal Southern. And in 1998 the commission arrested then-Hong Kong team footballers Chan Tsz-kong and Lee Wai-man for intentionally playing poorly at a World Cup qualifying match against Thailand for which they received a combined payout of HK$200,000. Chan was sentenced to a year in prison, and six others found to have been involved in betting during the qualifiers were also imprisoned and permanently suspended from professional football. cjames.lee@singtaonewscorp.com
As expected Dejan Damjanović leaves Kitchee after 2.5 years. He will leave behind big football boots to fill.
HKFA chairman Pui Kwan-kay, also the chairman of the Happy Valley Athletic Association, said on a radio program this morning that the lower football divisions in Hong Kong below the Hong Kong Premier League were of amateur levels. He said it would be hard for the football association to monitor all the matches as they were played all around the city and that the association has to take care of the women’s league and youth leagues. Even though the association had noticed unusual match results, there was not enough evidence for the association to investigate, said Pui, adding that law enforcement agencies should step in to intervene. Meanwhile, the association chief said bookmakers tend to target matches in lower divisions as the top division was strictly monitored by international bodies following previous match-fixing cases. When asked whether players of the lower divisions were prone to take payments for match-fixing as they earn much less than those playing in the top league, Pui said owners of the lower division clubs might not have that many resources and only those who wanted to push for promotion would offer better compensation package for the players. He noted that the players were usually paid an allowance, as they were mostly part-time players with a full-time job, and that they mainly “play for fun.”
The chairman seems to enjoy engaging in circular logic. People bet on the lower divisions because there's less monitoring ↓ There's less monitoring because it's an amateur league ↓ It's an amateur league so the HKFA won't divert resources into investigating suspicious results ↓ There are suspicious results because people bet on the lower divisions ↓ People bet on the lower divisions because there's less monitoring
It is really sad to see what has happened to Happy Valley AA from being a club that were once one of the strongest teams in the 1990's and mid-2000's to getting themselves embroiled in match fixing scandals. There will certainly be big boots to fill in the void left by Damjanovic's departure. In addition to Juninho, Kitchee will have to make efficient use of the upcoming Summer transfer window. I am curious to see which players will Kitchee retain and who will depart.
Former Kitchee youth and current Blackburn Rovers U21 player Jay Haddow was spotted during the Sapling Cup final. He had already represented Japan at U19 level, but he is still eligible to represent either Hong Kong, Scotland or England. It is believe that he had met with Jorn Andersen but stated that he is not in a rush to make a decision to whether he wants to represent the national team at this time. https://www.sportsroad.hk/archives/414817
Unfortunately, as mentioned in the article, Haddow is not even sure if he is eligible for a HKSAR passport. Furthermore, it is an extremely complicated issue, probably because of 1) the paperwork involved in both applying for a HKSAR passport and for giving up British and Japanese nationalities, 2) the importance of a British/Japanese passport in order to play in the UK/Europe/Japan professional leagues, and 3) probably geopolitical concerns as well - would he want to give up a UK/JPN passport for a HK one?
1) He will have to make a choice soon regardless as Japanese law does not permit dual nationality past age 20. Either he renounces his British citizenship to keep his Japanese one, or his Japanese citizenship will be revoked. 2) In England, all that matters is that he has played in Blackburn's academy for three years prior to reaching age 21. In Europe, it won't matter what nationality he is as neither the UK, Japan or HK are part of the EU. The biggest problem would be if he ever wanted to play in Japan as holding a Japanese passport is the only way to qualify as a domestic. So he may want to keep that door open in the future and decide to hang onto his Japanese passport at the expense of his British one. 3) If he is ever arrested in Hong Kong or China, it's true he wouldn't be able to get consular support. On the other hand, the government doesn't care what your nationality is, if they want to arrest you, they'll arrest you.
Matthew Orr is on a tear in China League one! He has scored in 3 consecutive matches, including a double today, and is currently the leading scorer in the League (match week 6). I have not seen the highlights so not sure how he scored, but promising signs from a player often criticized for his finishing!
15 June 2023 Vietnam vs Hong Kong (in Vietnam) 19 June 2023 Hong Kong vs Thailand (Hong Kong Stadium) @ 20:00 Given the close proximity of the two matches, I think Jorn Andersen might not be using exactly the same players for both matches. Thus giving many players the opportunity to show what they can do. Clearly both opponents are stronger than Hong Kong so anyone who does not fight hard or simply lack talent will be very clear to see.
BC Rangers managed to secure an AFC license which means that they will be able to participate in AFC Champions League. In addition to Kim Min Kyu and Park Jong Bum, Yumemi Kanda who played a key role within Rangers this season all had their contract deals extended. I always felt that Matt Orr works better as a centre forward than left-wing which is what Guangxi have taken advantage of in contrast to what Kitchee could not achieve with him. If Orr can maintain his goalscoring form, this can spell good news for Jorn Andersen.
The Hong Kong Under-23s are to have back to back friendly fixtures against the Tajikistan Under-23 team next month in preparation for the upcoming AFC U23 qualifiers in September: https://hk.on.cc/hk/bkn/cnt/sport/2...port&eventid=4028828d4d9a0d6f014dc43e82ec5983
The Hong Kong Under-23 national football team are drawn in Group E where they will face tough opposition from Uzbekistan and Iran along with Afghanistan. Considering that the Under-23s will have a very hectic schedule in September, I do expect the team to hopefully get at least get a result against Afghanistan (as long as there are no hiccups in contrast to two years ago.)
The Matt Orr goal-train keeps going - 4 consecutive matches with a goal scored, 5 league goals this season - he only scored 4 league goals in his entire Kitchee career.