THE manager of Hongkong's first all-Chinese side has defended the selection policies which prompted a Pakistan-born player to claim unfairness in selection policy.
Team manager Bharat Gohel said Dil Akbar, a Pakistani of Vietnamese descent who accused the management of double standards in their selection of the squad, has no claim to be a part of the team.
Akbar felt he was left out because he ''didn't look Chinese'', having originally played for the side against an Essex under-14 side earlier this year.
He said the criteria for eligibility should have been made clear from the start.
But Gohel said: ''The side that played against the Essex kids was never touted as an all-Asian or all-Chinese side. It was just a team put together to give the Essex boys some competition.
''It was only an after-thought that we set up a team of Chinese players. The criteria laid down was that the players must be Chinese or that one of their parents are Chinese.