Fan gets green light to play for Kitchee
The 'will he, won't he' saga of Fan Zhiyi took another twist yesterday as the former China captain revealed he will play after all for Kitchee against Italian champions Juventus in the Grand Promenade Cup tomorrow.
The central defender, who arrived in Hong Kong yesterday, said he had been given the green light by his club Zhong Bang Shanghai, who have suspended him indefinitely.
'There were some misunderstandings between me and the club regarding my appearance in Saturday's match. They now understand that the match is a charity game and therefore will not stop me from playing, although I am still suspended by the club. I am happy that the matter has been resolved,' he said last night.
The Shanghai-based China Super League side informed Kitchee earlier this week that they would not allow Fan to play for the local side. Fan and two Zhong Bang teammates had been penalised for breaching the club's rules on commercial activities.
The 36-year-old said he did play against Juventus in Turin a couple of years ago during an overseas training stint with his former club in China.
'We lost to them 3-0 and it is no doubt they are one of the best sides in the world,' said Fan. 'However, I also understand that Juventus will not be able to field their strongest line-up in Hong Kong because some of their key players are missing due to international duty. I think Kitchee might have a slim chance with the support of the home crowd.'
Fan will start his first training session with Kitchee today, but is not too worried about playing with his new teammates.
'I played for Kitchee in another international friendly game last year so it will not be too difficult for me to blend into the team,' said Fan. 'Also I spent six months here in Hong Kong before with Rangers and am quite familiar with the play of Hong Kong's footballers.'
Meanwhile, Paolo Di Canio of Lazio will not be available for Kitchee as their other guest player. The Italian striker was due to arrive in Hong Kong today, but changed his plans to stay in Italy because of the death of a friend's relative.
'I don't think we would be able to get any replacement for Di Canio because there is not enough time,' said a spokesman for the promoter.
The Italian side will arrive in Hong Kong today after defeating Yokohama Marinos 1-0 in Tokyo on Wednesday and will have their first and only training session at Hong Kong Stadium this evening.