CHAMPIONS Eastern are on the verge of pulling out from the Hong Kong First Division, according to senior official Peter Leung.
Leung, who quit as team manager at the end of last season and is now assistant to president Lam Kin-ming, said they had failed to get sponsors for next season.
'There have been no individuals or companies who are interested in sponsoring Eastern,' said Leung.
'To make things worse, our football chairman Bruce Mok Bong-tung, who contributed part of this season's budget, is leaving.' Eastern developed into one of the territory's top sides, winning three consecutive league titles in the past three seasons.
But things made a turn-about at the end of last season when Eastern's major sponsor, the Lai Sun Group, withdrew.
Eastern then lost their best Chinese players, including forward Ricky Cheng Siu-chung, right-winger Lee Kin-wo, midfielder Lo Kai-wah and defender Chan Chi-keung.