Former Hong Kong coach Lai Sun-cheung passed away yesterday after a long struggle against lung cancer. He was 59. Lai was admitted to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Tai Po on Thursday for routine treatment but his condition deteriorated rapidly. Lai (pictured) was one of Hong Kong's best midfielders in the 1970s before turning to coaching. He joined the Hong Kong Sports Institute in the early 1980s and helped develop top players such as Tam Siu-wai, Yau Kin-wai, Au Wai-lun and Cheung Sai-ho. He left the institute in 1998.