Coronavirus: Hong Kong clubs abandon football season for the first time in history, as restrictions wipe out calender
- With stadiums and facilities closed since early January because of a surge in infections, clubs feel it is impossible to complete the season on time
- Kitchee, Lee Man and Eastern are still active this season as they compete in the AFC’s regional club competitions
Hong Kong’s eight Premier League clubs have taken the unprecedented step of abandoning the season altogether with the pandemic-enforced closure of grounds making it impossible to complete the fixtures on time.
The clubs – Kitchee, Lee Man, Eastern, BC Rangers, Resources Capital, HK Under 23s, Hong Kong Football Club and Kwoon Chung Southern – came to a consensus on Friday that the remaining matches are unlikely to be played and their only choice was to cancel the season.
“This is a very difficult decision,” said Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) chief executive Joaquin Tam. “In the past two months, we have been trying our best to discuss with the government and the clubs, hoping to find a feasible plan to continue the season.
“But unfortunately, the epidemic situation is getting worse, the stadiums need to be temporarily closed until at least April 20 because of social-distancing measures.
“There are still many uncertainties, and players also need to resume training for about three to four weeks before the games can resume. Therefore, the eight Premier League teams agreed to cancel the season.”
Over the past two years during Covid-19 restrictions, the HKFA has somehow managed to at least complete the season. However, the fifth wave of coronavirus infections is the city’s worst yet, with confirmed cases for the first time reaching five figures on Friday, totalling 10,010. Since early January all sports facilities have remained closed.
