Hong Kong coach Sebastiao Araujo has returned from a one-month holiday eager to select a nucleus of players for December's Asian Games. The former Brazil assistant coach, who was met at the airport by Hong Kong Football Association officials yesterday, said he was pleased to return to the SAR and was anxious to get back to serious work. He said he will watch all the FA Cup matches - the last domestic trophy of the season - before selecting a pool of between 25 and 28 players for his national training squad for the Bangkok Games. Araujo said he would put forward a management proposal to the Hong Kong Football Association and was confident it would be accepted. Without going into details of what the proposal was, the wiry Brazilian said his plan was simple but effective. 'I think my plan is easy to manage. I hope the Hong Kong Football Association approves my plan. I will be talking to them [today],' said Araujo. Araujo, who coached the Hong Kong League XI squad to the final of the Carlsberg Cup Chinese New Year tournament, said his proposal was part of a package leading up to the Asian Games. Training will probably begin in late July, he said. This season ends on Sunday with the FA Cup final and restarts in late August. Araujo said he will select Hong Kong- or Asian-born players to the Asian Games squad while sticking to criteria set by the rules committee of the Olympic Council of Asia. Araujo is in charge of Hong Kong's national, Asian Games and Olympic squads as well as four youth teams, and although the national and the Asian Games squad remain his priority, he will still have time to oversee the other squads. Araujo said he had watched the international friendly between Brazil and Argentina in Rio de Janeiro in which the hosts lost 1-0. 'The Brazilian players were nervous playing before their home crowd and were afraid of getting injured. They wanted to play a conservative game,' he said. Meanwhile, Sing Tao play Senior Challenge Shield champions Happy Valley, while Viceroy Cup champions South China take on Golden in tonight's FA Cup first-round matches at Mongkok Stadium. Sing Tao play Happy Valley in the first game scheduled for 6pm.
