League 'needs slice of betting revenue to survive'
The owner of a leading local football club warned yesterday that the professional league was in danger of collapse if the Hong Kong Jockey Club continued to reject calls for it to invest profits generated by soccer betting into the game.
'There is a chance that Hong Kong football may not survive much longer,' said Raymond Chow Man-leung, owner of First Division side Sun Hei, who won the FA Cup and League Cup double last season.
Hong Kong's professional league relies on sponsorship from the private sector, but the economic environment had been harsh in recent years and funds were running dry, he said.
'If there was money from the government, we'd be more hopeful about the future of football in Hong Kong,' added Chow, who also represents the First Division clubs on the Football Association's board of directors.
Chow's comments came after the Jockey Club reaffirmed last night that it would not dedicate any of its football betting profits to the local game. It maintains that profits generated from football gambling should be spent on charities, adding that it was the government's responsibility to develop local sports.
But football clubs had hoped there would be a change of heart despite the Jockey Club having put forward similar arguments in the past. 'Even though the Jockey Club had always maintained its stance, we had never given up hope [about getting subsidies] because things could change at any moment,' said Chow.
'I think I can say on behalf of all the teams in the First Division that we still wish there would be some money for the clubs. If in the end there really is no money available for us, the government could still support the local game by other means, such as tax relief for the football clubs or people investing in them.'
Philip Lee Fai-lap, manager of Buler Rangers, believes some money from football betting should go into youth development. 'It is their decision, so there is not much we in the football circle can say,' Lee said of the government and the Jockey Club. 'But I hope they will spend some money on youth development. After all, they're going to get some revenue from the game.'
The FA's chief technical consultant, former Hong Kong national team coach Kwok Ka-ming, was more philosophical about the Jockey Club's decision not to pump money into the local game.
'Life must go on. We had hoped there would be resources for the sport, but maybe we were a bit too hopeful there,' he said. 'The Jockey Club has no special responsibility to help us.'
The respected coach added that clubs in Japan, where pools betting on football is available, received no direct subsides from gambling-related profits. Instead, funds are distributed to local governments, who decide on how best to spend the money.
Football betting on overseas matches will become legal in Hong Kong on August 1. The Jockey Club, which will be the sole lawful bookmaker, has estimated that the move will generate an annual turnover of about $30 billion. Betting on local matches will remain illegal.
