Hong Kong League XI players (from left) Fladimir Freitas, Festus Baise, Christian Annan, Wilfed Bamnjo, Lee Wai-lun and goalkeeper Domingos Chan go through a warm-up routine at Mong Kok Stadium yesterday, as they prepare for Sunday's Lunar New Year Cup match against Jamaica's Olympic team.
The other first-day match features China's Olympic team and their Australian counterparts. Winners of the two matches will meet in the final next Wednesday while the losers will contest the third-place play-off.
Chan, meanwhile, will be playing his last Lunar New Year Cup as the 37-year-old Xiangxue Sun Hei player said youngsters should get more opportunities. 'This is my second Lunar New Year Cup and I think it is enough for a player at my age. The other goalkeeper in the team is only 23,' he said.
A Macau native who works in the Labour Department there, Chan had to take special leave for yesterday's training. 'I work as a nine-to-five clerk in the Macau government and train with various local teams on weekdays. Then I fly to Hong Kong to play for Sun Hei at the weekend. Life is pretty busy, but I do enjoy playing football,' said Chan, who has represented Macau for 19 years until last year's Portuguese Games.
