HKFA Cup Final Biuchun Rangers 1:3 Eastern SC Easterm SC's Noah Baffoe scored a hat-trick in 4 minutes and caused a red card for Maxwell Ansah, cementing his Hong Kong Footballer of the Year status. Eastern SC will once again play in ACL2 next season. Lau Chi-Lok scored an opportunistic opening goal for Biuchun Rangers and set a new record of 17 goals in a season in all competitions for a Chinese player.
Manuel Bleda (Eastern SC) and Oleksii Ihorovych Shliakotin (Biuchun Rangers) have both been added to the HKNT squad, as well as Chan Shinichi, Yapp Hung-Fai, Vas Nunez and Ng Yu-Hei. Biuchun Rangers striker, Lau Chi-Lok, who scored 18 goals this season and set a new record for a local Chinese player, continues to be ignored by Ashley Westwood.
Kitchee have announced the departures of several foreign players which include several of their summer signings with Diego Bardanca, Bae Jae Woo, Luis Machado, Welthon, Aaron Rey, Fynn Talley and Sherzod Temirov as they were not offered contract extensions by the club. It is as I feared that even though Talley kept six clean sheets this season, he wasn't offered an extension to which I'm left completely baffled by and I feel like Kitchee and Ken Ng are doing the same mistake they did when they released Charlie Scott last year. Whilst I have heard that the club are going to acquire Pong Cheuk Hei from North District, whilst he is a young goalkeeper, I just don't believe he has the same consistency nor quality that Talley had.
It seems a bit odd that naturalized players who basically have not played in a long time (Nunez, Bleda) or are simply not good enough (Olekshii) are added into the squad while players like Lau are ignored. Essentially to be included, you have to either be a gweilo or be a local player playing in a better league (e.g. China).
The AFC Asian Cup qualifier between Hong Kong and India at Kai Tak Stadium is sold out according to cityline's website.
Legendary club South China AA defeated Sham Shui Po SA 3-0 to win the HKFA Cup (Junior Division). It is the first trophy win for the historic club since it self demoted to the first division 8 years ago Interestingly South China convener Kinson Loo is not completely ruling out a return to the top flight. He just said he needs to discuss with the club's senior officials.
HKRT news: Raphaël Merkies appears to have injured himself, Sohgo Ichikawa has not travelled with the U22 team and is likely to be Merkies' replacement.
Yup. And HK team is no better either, calling up players due to the color of their skin and not recent form.
Whether he goes to Changchun Yatai or not, I still predict that Poon will be one of the local players who could yet depart Kitchee.
A great result for the Under-22 side as goals from Matthew Slattery, Anthony Pinto and Yeung Cheuk Kwan edged past Thailand. I really do hope that Kitchee will find a way to integrate their youth players for the senior squad.
HK coach Westwood has tripled down on the non-selection of Lau Chi Lok, while selecting foreign-born players who have not played in a while; summary of his points: Lau has constantly made the preliminary list, meaning he will be considered should there be injuries If a player is good enough, they would play in the Chinese leagues, and since Lau has not been signed by a mainland team "I am not the only one who sees he is not good enough" Westwood has 34 years of footballing experience hence he will not change his mind due to fans or journalists Lau is 31 and has never been capped for the senior team, so he is not the only coach to find him not good enough - "so why target me for not selecting Lau?" Lau is also very similar to Kyle Lau Ka Kiu; he knows Kyle well, he scored in the HK-Guangdong cup while Lau Chi Lok did not, and Kyle has received training in the USA Olekshii is 6 foot 9; Westwood wants to try him out Manuel Bleda has a strong record of 70 goals in 160 matches (1 goal per 2 matches), he has recovered well and hence he is selected Source: https://www.inmediahk.net/node/體育/棄選劉智樂掀爭議-韋斯活回應：我唔係第一個教練無揀佢
Intl Friendly: Hong Kong 0:0 Nepal. It was not a great performance at all and it doesn't look like we know how to score. It really isn't looking good for the upcoming AFC Asian Cup qualifier at home to India.
It is clear that the lack of Everton Camargo and Matt Orr's presence certainly showed throughout the match. The players and Ashley Westwood will have to dig deep and come up with something more for their upcoming home fixture.
I think more importantly, I do not think Ashley Westwood has the right formation. He seems to prefer 3 defenders with a holding midfielder but the HK players cannot cope with this playing strategy. Then the front players are not cohesive (Everton in the team or not) and run around like headless chickens. By the way, 45,000+ tickets have been sold for the AFC Asian Cup qualifying home match against India. It might end up being a full house. But if these casual football fans see an ugly loss, then they will surely not become fans. The HKFA has a lot riding on this match.
https://www.thestandard.com.hk/hong...s-set-for-HK-mens-football-team-debut-at-KTSP The Hong Kong men's football team will play against the India team in the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers this coming Tuesday (Jun 10) at Kai Tak Sports Park (KTSP), with over 45,000 tickets being sold. The match also marks the Hong Kong team's first International "A" Football Match held at the "home venue" since the opening of the Park. The security checks for the match, to be kicked off at 8 pm at Kai Tak Stadium, will begin at 5.30 pm. KTSP noted that, due to security requirements, the arrangements for the football match differ from those for other concerts. Water bottles or containers of any capacity, whether with or without a lid, are strictly prohibited inside the Stadium. There will be official merchandise sales points, and early arrivals could post with the giant inflatable Hong Kong team jersey at Central Square. Ten special bus routes will be arranged after the event at the Sung Wong Toi Road pick-up and drop-off area. Cross-boundary coach services to Lok Ma Chau / Huanggang are also available at the Stadium's pick-up and drop-off area on the ground floor. KTSP announced that it will open the taxi pick-up and drop-off area outside Gate H for the first time, while the existing taxi drop-off arrangements will remain unchanged. After the match, there will be no taxi pick-up service on Sung Wong Toi Road pick-up and drop-off area. Spectators can take the escalator outside Gate H of the Stadium to reach the taxi stand on the ground floor. Hong Kong team coach Ashley Westwood upset fans in the goalless friendly match with Nepal last week, with Lau Chi-lok -- the top striker this season scoring 18 domestic goals -- failing to make it into the squad list. Four teams in Group C earned one point in the first round, with only the first-place team qualifying for the final stage in the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia.
Hong Kong vs India: Sold-out crowd set for historic clash at Kai Tak Stadium Hong Kong’s national football team is set to make history on Tuesday, June 10, as they face India in a crucial 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifier at the newly opened Kai Tak Sports Park. All 50,000 tickets for the match have been sold out, setting a new attendance record for Hong Kong football and marking the first time the city’s team will play an official international match at their new home ground. The match, kicking off at 8pm, is vital for both teams’ hopes of progressing in Group C. Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) chairman Eric Fok Kai-shan previously announced that over 45,000 tickets had been sold, with the goal to “fill Kai Tak to the brim.” As of June 9, ticketing platform Cityline confirmed that all tickets were sold out, and the HKFA expressed gratitude to fans for their overwhelming support. The association also encouraged those unable to attend to watch the live broadcast on RTHK TV 31 to support the representative team. Fans attending the game have been advised to plan ahead, as security checks will begin at 5.30pm with gates open at 6pm. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early to enjoy food and merchandise stalls, and to take photos with the giant inflatable Hong Kong team jersey in the central plaza. Due to security measures, no water bottles or containers of any size will be allowed inside, and re-entry is not permitted once a ticket has been scanned. The stadium is also a non-smoking venue, except for designated outdoor areas. On the pitch, Hong Kong, revitalized under coach Ashley Westwood, will look to leverage home advantage and recent improvements in form. The team has been on a nine-match unbeaten streak since Westwood took charge. India, meanwhile, are seeking their first win of the qualifiers and will rely on veteran striker Sunil Chhetri, the third-highest active international goalscorer, to lead their attack. The match is the 25th meeting between the two sides since 1951, with India holding a slight edge in the head-to-head record. Their last encounter saw India defeat Hong Kong 4-0 in 2022, but both teams have evolved since then, and the stakes are higher than ever with a place in the next Asian Cup on the line. With a sold-out crowd and a state-of-the-art new venue, Tuesday’s match promises to be a milestone for Hong Kong football and a showcase of the city’s growing passion for the sport.
The Hong Kong national football team left it late to secure their first win of their quest to qualify for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup finals with a first goal for Stefan Pereira who converted from the penalty spot after Michael Udebuluzor was fouled by the Indian goalkeeper. I just hope that the likes of Everton Camargo, Matt Orr, Chan Siu Kwan will be able to recover in time for the next fixtures.