My TakeGovernment deserves red card for Kitchee land grab
Officials have backed away from sorting out the Wang Chau project mess, and instead taken the easy option of reclaiming land designated for sports
As it is, the soccer club went by the book, invested HK$84 million and built a state-of-the-art training facility that is also open to the public. It opened last year but it could be gone soon, thanks to a plan by the government to redevelop the site for public housing.
Granted, Kitchee bosses are not entirely blameless. They obtained a five-year lease in 2012, so they knew it would end next year. Yet, they assumed it would be extended, at least long enough to make the investment, mostly funded by the Jockey Club, worthwhile. There is even a plan to put in another
HK$20 million to expand on-site facilities at the training centre.
In doing so, they apparently had the support of the then home affairs secretary, Tsang Tak-sing. It’s doubtful the Jockey Club would have committed HK$63 million in donation if it thought the centre would be here today and gone tomorrow.
