League XI coach Kenny Lai Sun-cheung accused Hong Kong club bosses of stifling local talent as he announced he will give some of the SAR's young blood a chance to impress in today's third-place match against Sweden.
Lai said he would play 18-year-old Happy Valley striker Sham Kwok-keung from the start instead of veteran Indonesian international Rochi Putiray, and will also give 22-year-old Sun Hei midfielder Law Chun-bong the opportunity to show his impressive second-half display in Thursday's defeat against Honduras was no fluke.
And Lai spared no one from his criticism, even rounding on the League XI's team manager Raymond Chow Man-leung, who also owns the Sun Hei club, for hiding Law on the substitutes' bench.
'The team bosses kill the young talent,' Lai insisted. 'Law Chun-bong played quite well in the first game. I wasn't surprised how he played. I asked the boss why he only plays as a reserve when Sun Hei have no left-footed players and he had no answer.'
Although Macau goalkeeper Domingos Chan is likely to replace the injured Fan Chun-yip, the League XI will feature one fewer foreign outfielder, with Lai adamant he needs to give more Cantonese players a run ahead of next month's opening World Cup qualifying match in Malaysia.
'We need to try out the national team, because we haven't got much time to prepare,' Lai said. 'The last league matches are on February 14 and we'll have to fly on the 16th and play on the 18th.'
The League XI were given six full days to prepare for the Carlsberg Cup. The extra days didn't necessarily help, as the League team performed edgily for the first hour of their first game, but Lai is hopeful they will be more comfortable against Sweden. 'They must be more relaxed. There's no pressure. Third or fourth place doesn't really matter,' he said.