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Unus Alladin

HONG KONG fans have been denied the chance to see AC Milan play here because the Hong Kong FA are unhappy with their cut of the prospective gate money.

  Organisers of the proposed visit by the Italian giants were reeling last night after the HKFA turned down the famous club to play in the territory next month.

 Promoters Ken Catton Enterprises, who organised last month's highly-successful Sao Paulo-South China exhibition match, only needed the HKFA's sanctioning to have the current Italian Serie A champions confirmed for an exhibition match against a Hong Kong League XI on June 3 at the Hong Kong Stadium.

 But at last night's HKFA council meeting, it was decided that the former European champions will not stop over and play in the territory on their way to Shenzhen and Liaoning in China on their world tour.

 ''I'm absolutely devastated,'' said promoter Brian Catton.

 ''Hong Kong soccer has been deprived of seeing one of the world's greatest soccer clubs in action and I really can't see the reason why.

 ''It's a massive disappointment for Hong Kong and for the Hong Kong players who had been offered a handsome sum to play. It's the biggest disappointment I have ever had in all the years I've done business,'' said Catton.

 His proposal was looked at by some of the Hong Kong league clubs who thought that the proposal was reasonable.

 ''It was a win-win situation for everybody but they [the HKFA] have turned it down,'' said Catton, who had spent two months planning the Milan visit.

 Milan have recently clinched their third successive Italian title.

  But HKFA chairman Stewart Lee Leung-nang said the ''terms and timing'' of the Italian club's visit were ''not ideal.''  When pressed further, Lee admitted that the HKFA's cut of the gate receipts was partly the reason for turning down AC Milan.

 ''There were other reasons as well. It is too late into the season. We have decided that May 22 will be our last game of the season,'' said Lee.

 But Catton was at loss to understand the HKFA's stance, saying he had received support from a number of clubs.

  ''We had three overseas guest players [Manchester United's Gary Pallister, Arsenal's Ian Wright and Aston Villa goalkeeper Mark Bosnich] all confirmed for the match. What better way to use the wonderful new Hong Kong Stadium than to see a team like AC Milan play?,'' he said.

  Meanwhile, the controversial lifting of player-suspension rulings on two South China players has been resolved after the majority of the senior clubs accepted an explanation from HKFA chairman Lee.

  The controversy erupted last Saturday when the disciplinary committee appeal board decided to cancel the one-match suspension of South China pair Ku Kam-fai and Loh Wai-chi and replace them with a $5,000 fine for each player.

  The matter was put to rest after Lee explained that the South China case was a ''special one'' and it all depended on the seriousness of the offence for an appeal to be successful.

  ''There have been other cases in the past where fines took the place of suspensions,'' said Lee.

  ''The two players in question had shouted abuse at the referee after the match in the heat of the moment. It was not a very serious case,'' he said.



Organisers enraged at rebuff to AC Milan