Hong Kong Football Thread (R)

The average number of people attended the matches in first week is the highest (>1,500) among three years after establishment of Hong Kong Premier League.

 

Hong Kong squad to face Cambodia on Thursday 1 Sep.

Goalkeepers: YAPP Hung Fai (Eastern Long Lions), WANG Zhenpeng (Kitchee), TSANG Man Fai (South China)

Defenders: SEALY, Jonathan Jack (Changchun Yatai),
AFFONSO JUNIOR, Roberto Orlando, CHENG King Ho (Eastern Long Lions), FONG Pak Lun (Hong Kong Pegasus), GONCALVES, Helio Jose De Souza (Kitchee),
CHEUNG Kin Fung, RUSSELL, Andrew James (South China), KILAMA, Jean Jacques (Tianjin Quanjian)

Midfielders: LEUNG Chun Pong (Eastern Long Lions), FERREIRA LEONARDO, Alessandro, HUANG Yang, LAM Ka Wai, LO Kwan Yee (Kitchee), TAN Chun Lok, WONG Wai (Wofoo Tai Po)

Forwards: MCKEE, Jaimes Anthony, XU Deshuai (Eastern Long Lions), ANNAN, Christian Kwesi (Hong Kong Pegasus), AKANDE, Alexander Oluwatayo (Kitchee), DOS SANTOS FILHO, Manoel (Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard)

 

Hong Kong national football team held its first training session today. The home match against Turkmenistan looks increasingly unlikely. Mark Sutcliffe said there is no plan B because it is just too late.

 

Clayton Michel Afonso has joined Lee Man Rangers on loan from Eastern LongLions. Lee Man Rangers now has its full compliment of foreigners.

 

Eastern Longlions lost 1-2 in a friendly against Newcastle Jets in Bao'an Stadium in Shenzhen.

Kitchee will take on Newcastle Jets tomorrow (2 Sep) in the same stadium.

 

Spanish player José María Díaz Muñoz, previously with Kwun Chung Southern District, has joined Biu Chun Glory Sky. Their coach said he is a better option for the club than Junior Soares. Junior Soares will be let go.

 

International Friendly:

Hong Kong 4:2 Cambodia

 

Friendly:

Kitchee 3:4 Newcastle Jets

Newcastle Jets won with a late goal at Shenzhen Bao'an Stadium.

 

Guangzhou R&F met the press yesterday. They have recruited 8 Hong Kong players and hope to finish the season in the top 6. The Hong Kong players all praise the club's superior training facilities.

 

South China Morning Post

‘We want to be a Hong Kong club’: China’s Guangzhou R&F hope to win over local fans

Team official says they want to help in the development of soccer in the city and eventually provide players for the Hong Kong senior squad

Chan Kin-wa

Guangzhou R&F are determined to establish themselves as a genuine “Hong Kong” team rather than merely a feeder side for their Chinese parent club, a leading official said.

Vice-president Hwang Shenghua said he hoped local fans would embrace the China Super League club when they make their debut in the new Hong Kong Premier League season.

Guangzhou R&F will field a mixture of China and Hong Kong players as they become the 11th team in the league after gaining approval from the Hong Kong Football Association in July.

“In a long run, our target is to become a club with roots in Hong Kong and produce players for the Hong Kong national team,” said Hwang Shenghua at a press conference on Sunday.

“In fact, our parent company, R&F Properties, is a listed company on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. We hope the Hong Kong soccer community can accept a club from China so that we can work together for the betterment of the sport for both areas.

“We have all the required infrastructure for a professional club – facilities, coaching and technical support and our involvement in the Hong Kong league will certainly create a win-win situation.”

Guangzhou R&F are playing in the China Super League and are currently sixth out of 16 teams. They also appeared in the 2015 AFC Champions League qualifying play-offs.

Hwang said they would invest in the junior programme of their Hong Kong club and would therefore provide more opportunities for local youngsters.

“We have done a lot of research on Hong Kong soccer and have found there are many young players with good potential. With proper training and competition, they can play in top-tier in Hong Kong and China and that’s why we want to get involved in Hong Kong soccer,” he said.

He said they have a budget of HK$10 million fortheir first season in the local league and would gradually sign more players from Hong Kong.

Their target is to build a roster with an equal balance of Hong Kong and China players while they hope to finish in the top six in their debut season.

“Our long-term plan can help foster exchanges and lift the standard of the game between Hong Kong and Guangzhou and this is well supported by the Chinese Football Association and its Hong Kong counterparts,” he said.

Hwang said he understood there were some objections to their participation in the Hong Kong league but hopefully their long-term plans would help convince critics.

“Fans want to watch good soccer and if we can bring in some good results with our plans, it will help change the situation,” he said.

Guangzhou R&F have secured eight Hong Kong players, headed by Hong Kong international Chuck Yiu-kwok and 2014 Asian Games representative Leung Ka-hai. They have also signed assistant coach Leung Chi-wing from Hong Kong.

Their Chinese recruits include players from their development squad and first-team fringe players such as Yang Ting, Hou Junjie and Min Junlin.

Chuck, who played for Rangers last season, said he was approached by a number of clubs in the close season but opted for Guangzhou.

“This is real professional club set-up and can help boost my career,” he said. “I have trained with them for a month and the quality of training is really impressive. I am confident I can become a better player with the help of my new club.”

The club will be based in Guangzhou with players residing in the southern China city and travelling to Hong Kong for matches. Their home stadium is Siu Sai Wan Sports Ground.

 

HKPL:


Hong Kong FC 1:2 Wofoo Tai Po

Today's match betwenn Southern District vs Lee Man Rangers postponed due to flooding.

 

Eastern Longlions AA vs R&F Guangzhou is also postponed for flooding.

Yes, there was a lot of rain today.

 

HKPL

Biu Chun Glory Sky 2:4 Hong Kong Pegasus FC

 

HKPL

Kitchee 2:0 KMB Yuen Long

Kitchee scored two goals in the last 10 minutes to sink KMB Yuen Long's hopes for an away draw. Substitute Sandro was instrumental in helping his club win.

Kitchee now tops the league with 2 wins out of 2. They will face league champions Eastern Longlions AA on Friday (Mid-Autumn Festival holiday) for the HKJC Chairty Shield.

 

HKJC Community Cup

Eastern Longlions AA 3-1 Kitchee

 

HK Senior Challenge Shield

Wofoo Tai Po 1:0 KMB Yuen Long



Guangzhou R&F 0:1 Biu Chun Glory Sky

 

HKPL:



HKFC 0:2 Kitchee




Biu Chun Glory Sky 2:0 Guangzhou R&F

 

HKPL:



Hong Kong Pegasus 2:2 KMB Yuen Long

 

HKPL:



Wofoo Tai Po 1:2 South China

 

HKPL



Eastern Longlions 2:1 Lee Man Rangers

Currently Kitchee tops the table with 3 wins out of 3, both Eastern Longlions and South China are on 2 wins out of 2.

 

Hong Kong Pegasus signed Travis Major for the remainder of this season due to injury to their original foreign striker.

 

Travis Major has arrived in Hong Kong to join HK Pegasus to replace Spanish striker Salva Chammorro who has been injured from the first two matches.

The club said Macau striker Lenng Kai-Hang will become a local player in Nov, so this will release the Asian player slot and Travis Major will take over that. When Salva Chammorro returns to fitness he can re-claim his foreigner spot.

 

There is talk that Hong Kong govt wants to reclaim HKJC Kitchee Football Centre (above right, red broken line) for housing development. It has caused uproar in the community. Kitchee captain Lo Kwan-Yee is critical while Eastern goalkeeper Yapp Hung-Fai said the govt's support of local football is only lip service.

 

HKPL



South China 2:2 Eastern Longlions



Wofoo Tai Po 0:0 Southern District



Lee Man Rangers 0:1 Kitchee



Hong Kong Pegasus FC 1:2 Guangzhou R&F (First win for the Guangzhou club)



Biu Chun Glory Sky 2:3 Hong Kong FC (first win for Hong Kong FC)

 

The Hong Kong Senior Representative Team will be competing in the upcoming international friendly games vs. Cambodia in Phnom Penh on 6th October and vs. Singapore on 11th October in Hong Kong, please kindly note the final squad with twenty three players and the team schedule. The details are as follows:

Goalkeepers

YAPP Hung Fai (Eastern Long Lions), WANG Zhenpeng (Kitchee), TSE Tak Him (Kwoon Chung Southern)

Defenders

SEALY, Jonathan Jack (Changchun Yatai), AFFONSO JUNIOR, Roberto Orlando, CHENG King Ho (Eastern Long Lions), BAISE, Festus (Guizhou Hengfeng Zhicheng F.C.), FONG Pak Lun (Hong Kong Pegasus), GONCALVES, Helio Jose De Souza (Kitchee), RUSSELL, Andrew James (South China)

Midfielders

LEUNG Chun Pong (Eastern Long Lions), AU YEUNG Yiu Chung (Guizhou Hengfeng Zhicheng F.C.), FERREIRA LEONARDO, Alessandro, HUANG Yang, LAM Ka Wai, LO Kwan Yee (Kitchee), WONG Wai (Wofoo Tai Po)

Forwards

LEE Hong Lim, MCKEE, Jaimes Anthony, XU Deshuai (Eastern Long Lions), AKANDE, Alexander Oluwatayo (Kitchee), KARIKARI, Godfred (Qingdao Huanghai), DOS SANTOS FILHO, Manoel (Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard)