Opinion | Philippe Coutinho’s apathy sums up how dull Asia Trophy needs overhaul after Premier League opener
Arsenal’s barnstorming 4-3 victory over Leicester City shows how dreary Hong Kong pre-season tournament must make tweaks to match the excitement
When I offered a couple of spare tickets for Liverpool’s second game at last month’s Asia Trophy to my Reds-obsessed mate, I thought he would have snapped my hands off.
Liverpool had not been in Hong Kong for 10 years, and he has lived here as an expat from England even longer.
He thanked me but informed me the atmosphere at the first game had been rubbish.
Luckily for the organisers of the Premier League pre-season event, there were tens of thousands of other Liverpool fans in Hong Kong who didn’t mind shelling out good money to put themselves through a dull, dreary spectacle.
The merchandise was flying off the stalls in the concourses around Hong Kong Stadium – good news, in light of recent research by Global Financial Integrity detailing how Liverpool are struggling to compete with the rampant Chinese counterfeit market in which consumers can purchase similar shirts in sporting goods stores and from online platforms at a fraction of the cost.
But you couldn’t ignore the general apathy in the stands and on the pitch – that is the price you pay when there is a lack of any real incentive for the players.
