HKFA to review eligibility rules after Kitchee fields Hong Kong-born Kiwi
Clash with South China set to decide title as champions escape points penalty on technicality after fielding player with no work permit
The Hong Kong Football Association will revisit its eligibility rules after league champions Kitchee were found to have fielded a Hong Kong-born New Zealand national as a local despite him not having a work permit.
The HKFA board yesterday decided that Kitchee should not face sanctions for playing Shay Spitz in six games earlier in the season, even though the Kiwi did not have documentation to work in the city.
The board decided that Kitchee had not breached its rules because they had presented Spitz's Hong Kong birth certificate when registering him as a "local" player. But the board said Kitchee might be in breach of the law as Spitz, who played in the league between October 7 and January 25, did not have a work permit. "The existing FA rules do not require a player to hold a work permit, it's only required by the Immigration Department," a source close to the board said. "In that sense, the association cannot charge Kitchee, even if the club may have breached the law by hiring an illegal worker."
If Kitchee had been sanctioned, they would likely have been docked 14 points, which they picked up in the six matches that Spitz played.
Instead, Sunday's match against league leaders South China at Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground will now prove pivotal.
The Caroliners lead Kitchee by two points and the winners on Sunday will almost certainly be crowned champions, as there are only two rounds of games to go in the season.