Walk into the offices of the Home Affairs Bureau on the 41st floor of Revenue Tower and the first thing that strikes you is the walls at head height are padded.
First appearances can deceive. No one, apparently, is stark crazy inside the government organisation responsible for establishing policies related to sport, a detail which is further cemented by Jonathan McKinley, a deputy secretary in the bureau.
McKinley, and the government, are in the process of trying to convince the Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) that it should implement revolutionary changes recommended by a consultancy study carried out by experts from Britain, so the beautiful game can be revived.
Aptly, the transformation process has been named 'Project Phoenix'. It calls for the governing body to play the role of its own executioner - basically, blow a hole in its head - and set up a new establishment to run the show.
What it calls for is radical changes to the game's governance which is in the hands of the clubs, who for too long have been serving their own vested interests to the detriment of the game locally and internationally.
Hong Kong languish at 143 in the Fifa world rankings and are 26th in Asia. Crowds for local league games averaged around 1,000 last season. The HKFA is bankrupt not only of money but also ideas.
