The Football Association of Hong Kong, China

Opinion | Left Field: Bad news for Hong Kong – Singapore’s star is on the rise as a major sports hub

Hong Kong can’t afford to lose ground on the Lion City, so the government must green light the Kai Tak complex now

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The poor condition of the pitch during the last Barclays Asia Trophy was a big issue for participating teams. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Published: 8:33pm, 14 Mar 2015

The English Premier League prefers Hong Kong to Singapore. So says Hong Kong Football Association chief executive Mark Sutcliffe, who was unfazed by the announcement that the Barclay’s Asia Trophy would be played at Singapore’s shiny new Sports Hub this summer.

The Barclays Asia Trophy is held every two years when the EPL brings three teams – one from the top of the table, a second from the middle, and a third from the lower rungs – to Asia to showcase English football. This year Arsenal, Everton and Stoke City will feature at Singapore’s new 55,000-seater National Stadium.

The obvious concern is if Singapore makes a success of hosting the trophy for the first time, will the EPL come back to Hong Kong

The obvious concern is if Singapore makes a success of hosting the trophy for the first time, will the EPL come back to Hong Kong, which has hosted this tournament on three previous occasions? Sutcliffe brushed aside such fears.

“We were asked if we could host the tournament this summer, but I told them we could not because of the stadium closure,” Sutcliffe says. “Therefore I see no impediment to them asking to come to Hong Kong again and indeed it is something I will actively pursue.”

Manchester United's exhibition game with Kitchee was almost cancelled due to the poor pitch two years ago. Photo: SCMP Pictures

The last edition of the Barclay’s Asia Trophy in 2013 at Hong Kong Stadium was a PR disaster with the pitch being condemned. Poor weather and the heavy schedule of matches turned the So Kon Po surface into a quagmire. It was later discovered a burst underground pipe hadn’t helped, compounding the poor drainage problems.

The last edition of the Barclay’s Asia Trophy in 2013 at Hong Kong Stadium was a PR disaster with the pitch being condemned

The separate visit of Manchester United a few days after the tournament led to headlines in the British media like “Killer Pitch”. At one stage the exhibition match featuring United was in danger of being called off. One good thing which resulted from all that controversy was the government finally woke up to the fact that the pitch needed major surgery instead of a minor remedial patch-up job. With this in mind, they outsourced to a party who could carry out reconstruction of the pitch – it will begin after the last ball is kicked at the Hong Kong Sevens on March 29.