Kitchee and Villarreal play to aid quake relief
Next month's friendly between Kitchee and La Liga side Villarreal will be a fund-raiser for victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.
'I believe this will be the only major sport event in Hong Kong for the Japanese disaster relief purpose,' said Ken Ng Kin, president of Kitchee. 'Kitchee are doing very well in the First Division this season while the Spanish side have also reached the semi-finals of the Europa League and are currently fourth in La Liga.
'With Villarreal bringing their strongest squad to Hong Kong, we can promise an entertaining match to the fans while making a contribution to charity.'
Villarreal feature two members of the Spain team that won the World Cup - Joan Capdevila and Carlos Marchena - and five who helped their nation win Euro 2008. The team also boast Italy international Giuseppe Rossi (pictured).
Villarreal will leave Spain the week after La Liga's season finishes and take on Kitchee in the Canon Cup at Hong Kong Stadium on May 26.
All match profit will be donated to Unicef for the Japanese relief efforts, while there will also be a designated amount from each ticket sale. Tickets of HK$400 and HK$300 will see HK$50 donated, while HK$40 and HK$30 will be donated from HK$220 and HK$150 tickets, respectively.
'This arrangement will guarantee a fixed amount for the charity cause even if we don't make too much profit from the match,' Ng said. 'Of course, we hope more people can come and Kitchee also have plans to bring in Japanese iconic players as guest players to attract more fans.'
Masami Ihara, the most capped Japanese player (122), and Hidetoshi Nakata are two targets.
Kitchee are currently top of the First Division table with two matches left. Striker Roberto Losada, who played for Mallorca and Valladolid, hopes they can take on the visitors as Hong Kong champions, as their last league match will be on May 6.
