More to football in Hong Kong than just Lionel Messi
- While fans are understandably excited about the impending arrival of the football great, the Asian Cup campaign by the Hong Kong team deserves the city’s full support
Hong Kong’s football fans are understandably excited about the impending arrival of Lionel Messi, widely regarded as the sport’s greatest player.
The Argentinian World Cup winner is due to play in an exhibition game for Inter Miami against Hong Kong on February 4.
The 40,000 tickets sold out within an hour. But fans should also be focusing on other, more important, matches the Hong Kong team faces in coming weeks.
The AFC Asian Cup finals have just begun in Qatar and they feature the region’s top players. Hong Kong will be making its first appearance since 1968. The team will need all the support it can get.
It is unfortunate the tournament coincides with Messi’s appearance in the city. Hong Kong is the lowest-ranked team among the 24 competing. It will face a challenge to secure the three points likely to be needed to make the final 16.
The first group match is against the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, to be followed by games against Iran and Palestine.