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Letters | How Hong Kong can move on from Messi with head held high
- Readers discuss what the city should focus on after Lionel Messi’s failure to play in a much-publicised match, the need for accountability from event organisers, and the silver lining to the game
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Football matches usually attracted legions of fans to stadiums when I was a child. Somehow, the tide has turned. Local matches today hardly draw a thousand spectators.
Other matches fare better. Last week, 5,000 spectators packed the stadium in Mong Kok to watch the Hong Kong team take on a Guangdong XI. During the weekend, over 38,000 people were at Hong Kong Stadium to see Lionel Messi play for Inter Miami against Hong Kong, although fans left disappointed.
Our government must do something to hold the event organiser responsible for Messi not playing at all. Otherwise, fans will lose confidence in events which bring big names to the city for international matches.
More importantly, though, the government should focus on the betterment of our local football team. Hong Kong beat Guangdong 2-0 in their game. Not long ago, the Hong Kong football team made history by getting into the Asian Games semi-finals. This shows that Hong Kong is not lacking in football talent.
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To better Hong Kong football culture, taking us back to the great old days when Lee Wai-tong reigned supreme, we must start with training young talent. We need more football schools that offer training at an affordable rate so we can nurture potential stars like Lee or Cheung Chi-doy, who played for English club Blackpool in the 1960s.
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