City's fantasy football gurus rank second in the world

This might not come as much of a surprise to members of the fairer sex, but Hong Kong men apparently thrive in the world of fantasy.

When it comes to sport, at least.

As the dust settles on another English Premier League soccer season, Hong Kong is now ranked second in the world for the management of 'fantasy league' teams.

The league's Official Fantasy Premier League has attracted close to 2 million members worldwide since it was launched in August 2002 - making it the most popular game of its kind - and Hong Kong's 9,338 participants averaged close on 1,553 points for the season.

That ranked Hong Kong just behind the 1,605 end-of-season points averaged by the 14,668 players hailing from that dominant fantasy-playing nation ... Finland.

It also saw Hongkongers leave the near-one million English fantasy managers chasing shadows. They averaged 1,494 points for the season to wallow in a miserable 17th in terms of world rankings.

And the reasons for these results are simple, if you believe our city's top-ranked fantasy manager. In Hong Kong, when a man plays, he plays with his head, not his heart.

'No offence to any other nationalities but I think Hong Kong people are quite smart,' said financial controller Kenneth Tang Kin-wai, 30.

'Some of my friends would only spend 15 minutes a week on their teams and they did pretty good. I know some British people who would spend hours following all the news and thinking about their team all the time.

'People will have their own theories about players and will have favourites. But in Hong Kong we don't do that. We just want to win.'

Mr Tang - who called his team McmaKenneth to reflect his love for Liverpool and their former winger Steve McManaman - said he would set aside up to three hours every Saturday sitting in his bedroom in his parent's Kornhill flat, plotting his formations and transfers.

Mr Tang - who plays midfield, captains and manages real-life local amateur side Queen Dragon - also says Hongkongers have an edge due to the blanket coverage the league gets in the local media, and a little bit of history.

'The media coverage in Hong Kong means that we all know so much about [the premier league],' said Mr Tang, who finished the season on 2,187 points, enough to win six of the eight fantasy leagues he entered and just a few decent games shy of the (Australian) overall winner's score of 2,264.

'And the Cantonese commentators never stop talking so you learn a lot of things,' he said. 'Also, because we were a British colony, the Premier League is the one we feel closest to.'

And while Mr Tang was in no doubt as to why Hong Kong's fantasy managers were so successful, the league's organisers were not so sure. 'We have no idea what makes Finland top - only that it is possibly because it is dark for half the year and they have to stay in studying soccer stats,' a spokesman said. 'But that doesn't help us answer why Hong Kong players are so good.'