Editorial | Struggling Hong Kong football faces game of its life
The local premier league season has kicked off short of fans, sponsorship, broadcasting revenue, good facilities and exciting players
Hong Kong’s success in the Olympics has sparked much debate about further developing elite sport in the city. One sport in need of a boost is football.
The local premier league season kicked off last weekend, amid growing concerns about the future of the game in the city. A new head coach for the Hong Kong men’s team has followed the disappointing departure of fan favourite Jorn Andersen, who exceeded expectations with an exciting brand of football.
His successor, Ashley Westwood, a former Manchester United youth player who previously managed Afghanistan, has promised to improve the football, culture, attitude and environment for the team. This will be challenging.
His pledge to play entertaining and winning football is welcome. Westwood must reverse a depressing slide in the team’s rankings, from 90 in 1996 to today’s 159 out of 210.
There is much work to be done.
Hong Kong has seen a worrying decline in the domestic game, which is woefully short of fans, sponsorship, broadcasting revenue, good facilities and exciting players. Match-fixing scandals have further damaged its reputation.
