R&F to keep Yanzigang as their home ground this season: HKFA source

Big spending R&F will be allowed to host their home matches at Yanzigang Stadium in Guangzhou when they compete in the BOC Life Hong Kong Premier League this season.

Although a formal announcement has not been made, the Hong Kong Football Association has already reached a consensus before the title challengers play hosts to Eastern Long Lions in their first home game on the weekend.

“Hong Kong league teams have used their home ground in Guangdong province before and if R&F can meet the required facility standard, we don’t have too many reasons to reject them,” said a source close to the HKFA board.

“The club has also said they would ensure visiting teams would have no problem passing through the border [control] and there is little to worry about for players and officials.

“For the visiting fans, however, both the club and the FA can do little about immigration policy into the country.

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“There are tens of thousands of Hong Kong people who pass through the border everyday and at the end of the day, it’s the fans’ decision as to whether they want to attend the match or not.”

The ambitious mainland club have spent more than HK$3.5 million renovating their venue this summer to meet requirements set down by the FA, including improvement work on the pitch, better changing rooms and other improved facilities.

However, concerns have been raised by players and fans that passing through the border could present a problem, especially in light of Hong Kong’s social unrest. It was reported that Chinese immigration officers have checked Hong Kong people’s mobile phones at the border.

A group of Eastern fans calling themselves “Eastern 12” said they would boycott their away matches if they were staged in Guangzhou.

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The Yanzigang Stadium was never a popular venue last season with the title-deciding match against Wofoo Tai Po last season attracting just 939 spectators – their biggest crowd of the season – while only 99 people attended the game against Hoi King, also last season.

R&F had used the Siu Sai Wan Sports Ground as their home turf in their first season in Hong Kong in 2016 before moving back to Yanzigang two seasons ago.

Eastern coach Lee Chi-kin said they would follow HKFA’s decision of staging R&F’s home games in Yanzigang.

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“They [HKFA] are the organisers and we are taking part in their event,” said the coach. “We have to follow their decision. But as organisers, they have to guarantee every match has to be run smoothly and we don’t want to see any hiccups when we travel to Guangzhou to play R&F.

“To be honest, R&F are one of our major rivals this season and we have to keep ourselves focused if we want to beat them. We don’t want to be distracted by other things as it is an important game.”

Eastern will leave for Guangzhou on Friday – a day before the match – and they will travel on one bus. All their foreign players have already obtained visas to enter China.