The Hong Kong League XI are out to break a 16-year drought when they take on Penarol of Uruguay in the Wing Lung Bank Lunar New Year Cup tomorrow.
The cup is the longest-established tournament in Hong Kong, dating back to the 1950s. But the last time the home team lifted the trophy was back in 1992 when Hong Kong, also represented by a League XI side, defeated Yugoslavia's Partizan Belgrade on penalties in the final after stopping Swiss side Young Boys Berne in their opening match.
In many of the intervening years the national team has represented Hong Kong rather than the multi-national line-up of the League XI.
'It has been a long time since we won the cup and we are keen to do it this time,' said Hong Kong Football Association chairman Brian Leung Hung-tak.
'We have gathered the best local and expatriate players and, with the home-ground advantage, are confident of a victory.'
To motivate the players, who comprise mainly the same squad that won the recent two-leg interport event over Guangdong, a hefty HK$800,000 (including the US$60,000 winning purse) has been put on the table by the three team managers for winning the title.
