LEAGUE champions Eastern have called on other senior clubs to boycott the Hong Kong Stadium as trouble continues to brew over the use of the $1 billion facility.
Eastern soccer section chairman Bruce Mok Bong-tung said stadium managers Wembley International (HK) Limited were 'discriminating against soccer' after requests to have a curtain-raiser for the Asian Club Championship first round clash between Eastern and J.League champions Verdy Kawasaki next Tuesday were turned down.
Mok said Wembley had also gone back on a previous agreement to stage the Sing Tao-South China league game on September 28 at the stadium. Wembley said the game cannot be held on that date because it is too close to another event, on October 1.
'All we are asking for is to have a curtain-raiser for our match against Verdy Kawasaki. Even though we told Wembley that the players will be wearing plimsolls instead of boots for the curtain-raiser so as to limit damage to the pitch, our request was turned down,' said an angry Mok, who has the backing of the Hong Kong Football Association.
'We feel a curtain-raiser is important because we don't want the same situation as last season's Sing Tao-Sampdoria match where a lot of people came in during the match.
'Spectators would be free to go into the stadium earlier if we held a curtain-raiser,' said Mok.
'I'll try to get backing from other clubs to boycott the stadium when the Hong Kong Football Association hold their Council meeting later this month [September 26],' said Mok.
