HONGKONG'S World Cup hopes suffered a body blow yesterday when South China's remaining players pulled out of the squad.
Club captain Chan Ping-on has a broken arm and midfielder Shum Kwok-pui has pulled stomach muscles.
The third to withdraw yesterday, midfielder Chiu Chung-man, said he wished to devote his time to South China's domestic campaign - the same reason cited by teammates Leslie Santos and Chu Yue-tai, who pulled out last month.
With the first leg of the Asian Group D matches in Beirut, Lebanon, less than five weeks away, Hongkong will be missing some of their best players.
''We are now down to 17 players from an original list of 22 and this is certainly not good news for us,'' said Hongkong coach Wong Man-wai, whose side take on Lebanon, India, South Korea and Bahrain from May 7-15.
Wong, who steps down as national coach after the territory play their ''return'' World Cup legs in Seoul from June 5-13, said the Hongkong Football Association have already been informed of the withdrawals of Santos, Chu and Shum.