bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

SCMP Reporter

National midfielder Chiu Chung-man could lose his place with Sing Tao in the new season as he is struggling to meet fitness levels set by the Hong Kong Football Association.

 Chiu, who joined Sing Tao from Golden in the off-season, must improve if he is to meet the minimum standard of running 3,000 metres in under 12 minutes.

 Those who fail the test will not be able to register to play in the elite league.

 During the Tigers' training on Wednesday, where players had to run 350-metre laps in under a minute each, the 27-year-old Chiu could only finish 5.5 laps - with a three-minute break between each lap.

 Sing Tao coach Sin Tik-hung, and even Chiu himself, think he could fail the crucial HKFA test.

 'I am really struggling. I am nowhere near the standard,' said Chiu.

 'If I have to take banned drugs to pass the test, I will take it,' he desperately added.

 Chiu, who suffered from asthma when he was young, has also been hindered by a cold he caught last weekend.

 'I have been taking cold medicines in the past week and they make me even weaker,' he said.

 'I even thought about quitting on Wednesday because I knew I would not make it. I got cramps in my legs after the third lap.'  Coach Sin, who was the former coach of Chinese Professional League side Guangzhou Apollo, said: 'Chiu has to push himself to do it if he wants to play in the First Division.'  The Tigers will have a mock test on Monday and those who fail will be barred from training.

 The actual HKFA test will be held later this month with Sing Tao players scheduled to take the test on August 21.

 In the past week, Sin has pushed his players hard, leading some members of the squad to criticise his methods.

 'We should have started with some light training because we just returned from holiday,' said one of the players, who asked not to be named.

 'Maybe the younger players can survive but not the older players like me. You will see next week how many players are injured from the heavy running.'  But Sin has defended his schedule. 'I have done this in the mainland. You have to push the players to reach their peak form in a short period of time or they won't pass the test.

 'They will be fine as long as they have faith in themselves.' 



Chiu struggling to make the grade