Kitchee's Ken Ng announced yesterday that Kitchee will play Villareal in Hong Kong on 26 May 2011. He said Villareal will come with a full strength team.
2011 Canon Cup: Kitchee vs Villareal (ESP). 26 May 2011 (Thursday) 8pm, Hong Kong Stadium. Villareal's first team players such as: Giuseppe Rossi, Joan Capdevila, Carlos Marchena, Santi Cazorla, Nilmar and Diego López Rodríguez will all take part in the match. Kitchee is negotiating with Japanese players such as Hideotoshi Nakata to join them for the match. All match profit will be donated to Unicef for the Japanese relief efforts, while there will also be a designated amount from each ticket sale. Tickets of HK$400 and HK$300 will see HK$50 donated, while HK$40 and HK$30 will be donated from HK$220 and HK$150 tickets, respectively. "This arrangement will guarantee a fixed amount for the charity cause even if we don't make too much profit from the match," Ng said. Tickets (HK$): $400、$300、$220 and $150 (elderly and students).
Japanese star Hidetoshi Nakata has confirmed that he will play for Kitchee against Villareal, since the match will raise funds for the Japanese earthquake survivors. He will wear no. 80 as this year is Kitchee's 80th anniversary. Tickets are on sale from today at HKFA and HK Stadium.
South China Morning Post Nakata to provide star quality for Kitchee Chan Kin-wa Japanese legend Hidetoshi Nakata will provide the star factor for newly crowned league champions Kitchee in their match against Spanish side Villarreal next Thursday. The match at Hong Kong Stadium will be a fund-raiser for victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami in March. "We are happy to have secured Nakata's services," Kitchee boss Ken Ng Kin said. "He has been very busy playing in a number of charity games and has to change his schedule to come to Hong Kong. Nakata will wear jersey number 80 as the match is also part of the club's 80th anniversary celebrations." Regarded as the best Japanese player of his generation, Nakata (pictured) retired in 2006 at the age of 29 after playing for Premier League side Bolton. The attacking midfielder's 10-year professional career also included seven seasons in Serie A where he played for a number of clubs including Perugia, Roma and Parma. Villarreal, who finished fourth in La Liga, feature two members of the Spanish team who won the World Cup - Joan Capdevila and Carlos Marchena - and five players who helped win Euro 2008. The team also boast Italy international Giuseppe Rossi. Tickets will be available from today at the Hong Kong Football Association's office in Ho Man Tin and Hong Kong Stadium. They are priced at HK$400, HK$300, HK$220 and HK$150.
South China Morning Post Kitchee boss urges fans to show support After a series of loss-making matches against foreign sides, Ken Ng calls on public to turn showpiece clash against visitors Villarreal into a charity winner Alvin Sallay New Hong Kong champions Kitchee fear the visit by top Spanish side Villarreal this week could turn into another loss-making exercise. About HK$6 million has to be raised before any money can be donated to help the survivors of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. And Kitchee boss Ken Ng Kin called on the public yesterday to show their support by turning up for the Canon Cup against Villarreal at Hong Kong Stadium on Friday. Previous visits by foreign teams have failed to make a profit. But Ng said: "I hope we won't be embarrassed by a poor crowd and we are able to raise a substantial amount for charity. We need to sell at least 10,000 tickets before we can contribute anything sizeable." The match against Villarreal, who finished fourth in La Liga, is to celebrate Kitchee's 80th anniversary. It will feature a guest appearance for the local side by Japanese legend Hidetoshi Nakata. Stars of Spain's World Cup-winning side Joan Capdevila and Carlos Marchena are also expected to play. Ng said: "The original idea behind this match was to celebrate our 80th anniversary. I was in Barcelona tying up this deal on March 11 when I heard about the disaster. The idea then struck me - why not do something meaningful?" While organisers will donate a percentage from every ticket sold, Ng has also pledged to give all profits to the quake victims once the costs of staging the game have been covered. He said: "It will cost us HK$6 million. Of this, around half has been met by our sponsors, which leaves us still needing to sell around HK$4 million worth of tickets, taking into account a government levy as well as a sanction fee, before breaking even." Kitchee will have to pay 20 per cent of proceeds from ticket sales as hiring costs for the stadium to the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. In addition, the Hong Kong Football Association will receive a 5 per cent sanctioning fee. "If we cover our costs, everything else will go through Unicef to the Japanese earthquake victims. I hope the Hong Kong public, as well as the Japanese and Spanish communities, will show their support by turning up in large numbers," Ng said. He is hoping Nakata, who retired internationally in 2006, and Villarreal will have sufficient pulling power. "Nakata has figured in a number of games for the earthquake victims in the past few weeks, the latest being in Thailand a week ago where they raised around HK$4 million. I hope we can come close to matching that," Ng said. "Nakata is an icon in Japan and, although retired, still plays very good football. He immediately supported the idea. "In the past month, he has played in charity events in Thailand, Singapore and Italy, raising funds for his countrymen," Ng added. Despite the presence of Nakata and a string of Spanish stars, Ng is still worried about the turnout. "We have still to turn a profit from games featuring overseas teams in Hong Kong," he admitted. "In 2004 we brought AC Milan and Newcastle to play against us and that was a loss-making exercise. "It was the same in 2005 [Juventus], 2006 [Shanghai Shenhua] and 2007 [Barcelona]. "We were on course to making a huge profit when Barcelona visited, but unfortunately Typhoon Signal No8 went up and we were forced to refund HK$4 million worth of tickets. We ended up in the red," Ng recalled. "I hope this time we can turn a profit. It is for a good cause. If we can give a couple of million dollars to charity, I will be happy. "We will need a half-full stadium to achieve that goal and I appeal to the fans to turn up." Tickets, now on sale at the HKFA offices in Ho Man Tin and at the stadium box office, cost HK$400 with HK$50 going to the charity, HK$300 (HK$50 to charity), HK$220 (HK$40) and HK$150 (HK$30).
South China Morning Post World Cup winners among Villarreal's squad for tie Kitchee boss hopes big game with Spaniards will draw crowds and raise money for quake victims Alvin Sallay Charter flight WHT9402 touched down 75 minutes late at Hong Kong Airport yesterday bringing with it precious cargo - La Liga side Villarreal, including seven internationals from Spain, the reigning World Cup champions. They were welcomed with open arms by Kitchee chief executive Ken Ng Kin, who is praying Villarreal, who finished fourth in the league, will have sufficient pulling power to attract the crowds for the Canon Cup encounter against his team at the Hong Kong Stadium tomorrow. "They [Villarreal] have gone out of the way to make this game happen. There was some worry over the scheduling of the commercial flight, resulting in a charter being arranged at the last minute. But they have graciously decided to bear most of the extra cost," Ng said. Kitchee, who will have ex-Japan international Hidetoshi Nakata as a guest player, will celebrate their 80th anniversary with this game, which will raise funds for victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. Ng has promised that once costs are covered - estimated at HK$6 million - everything over and above from ticket receipts will go through Unicef to the earthquake victims. The last-minute decision to hire a charter is believed to have set back organisers almost HK$3 million, but most of the additional cost has been borne by Villareal. The Spanish club will be missing Italian forward Giuseppe Rossi, who is on duty for his country, as well as Brazilian striker Nilmar and Spanish midfielder Cani, who are injured. But World Cup winners, defenders Joan Capdevila and Carlos Marchena, plus three other Euro 2008 winners, Marcos Senna, who is also the captain of the squad, and Diego Lopez and Santiago Carloza have arrived. The side will also boast two young midfielders, Borja Valero and Bruno Soriano, who are new Spanish internationals. alvin.sallay@scmp.com
South China Morning Post Nakata seeks support from HK fans The Japanese legend will play with Kitchee against Villarreal in fundraiser for earthquake victims CANON CUP Alvin Sallay Japanese legend Hidetoshi Nakata yesterday added his voice to the earthquake charity call, appealing for fans to support tonight's Canon Cup encounter between league champions Kitchee and Spain's Villarreal at Hong Kong Stadium. "I hope the Hong Kong people will support this match. It is for a good cause and I'm looking forward to seeing the fans turn up in their numbers," Nakata, who will be the guest player for Kitchee, said. Organisers yesterday revealed only around 4,000 tickets had been sold for the game which doubles as Kitchee's 80th anniversary celebrations and a fund-raiser for the Japanese earthquake and tsunami relief efforts. But Kitchee chairman Ken Ng Kin believes sales will pick up at the gate tonight. "Yes, tickets sales have been poor but most tickets are sold at the gates and I expect a large crowd will turn up," Ng said. A big crowd at the 40,000-seat Hong Kong Stadium will be testament to Nakata's view that the links between Japan and Hong Kong are close, and strung together by a common culture and customs. "Many Hong Kong people like Japan and we share a common culture. We need the support of Hong Kong and other countries, as Japan goes through a bad time," Nakata said. "It is very important to the Japanese to see that people care for us, and that the Hong Kong people are close to Japan." It has been five years since Nakata retired from the international scene, with most people saying it came prematurely, at the age of 29. During his 10-year career, the exciting midfielder played for Japan at three World Cups and two Olympic Games. Most of his club career was spent in Italy in the Serie A. Yesterday, he trained with Kitchee at the stadium. It seemed as if he had never left the game as he bubbled with enthusiasm. "I really enjoyed that," Nakata said after a 90-minute workout. Since the tsunami hit on March 11, Nakata has been travelling around the world, raising funds for his stricken countrymen. "I was in Hong Kong when the disaster happened. I sw it on TV and I couldn't believe it," Nakata said, "I called my family and friends to see if they were OK." They were fine, but the magnitude nine earthquake which triggered the tsunami claimed more than 15,000 lives. Nakata has played fund-raising games in Taiwan, Singapore and Thailand as well as in Italy. Now it's Hong Kong's turn. "We will start with Nakata," Kitchee head coach Josep Gombau said. "The fans will come to see him and, of course, Villarreal. "It will be a good game. They have seven Spanish internationals in their side and we will try to match them. But this is more than just a match. We are playing for a cause," Gombau said. Ng has pledged all profits from the game will be given to the Japanese earthquake victims through Unicef. But first the costs - HK$6 million - will have to be covered. "We will need to sell at least 10,000 tickets to break even," Ng said. "Yesterday, one person bought 50 HK$400 tickets. There are people supporting us, but we need the public to back us." alvin.sallay@scmp.com
For those of you who missed it... [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyRS02oaQwA&feature=player_embedded"]YouTube - Canon Cup : Kitchee 0-3 Villarreal (CABLE)‏[/ame] Kitchee 0:3 Villareal Just 7,282 spectators, with only 5,610 buying a ticket, gate receipt was HK$1,234,030. More than HK$200,000 will be donated to charity. Ken Ng of Kitchee said it was the worst loss he has suffered financially in organizing games against foreign teams. But he did say long term it was good for Kitchee and the charity relationship with UNICEF may grow in the future, similar to the way South China is related to the Red Cross.