Fairy-tale set to end as Hong Kong Premier League champions Wofoo Tai Po face big budget cuts
- Club spent HK$18 million to win their maiden top-tier championship but success unlikely to continue next season
- Coach of the Year Lee Chi-kin set to leave after three seasons, with some players following in the footsteps of the coach
Wofoo Tai Po’s fairy-tale story is likely to end after swingeing cuts to the district club’s budget were announced ahead of the coming season.
The district club spent HK$18 million to fund their maiden top-tier trophy last season following a 2-1 victory over fellow championship chasers R&F with one round to play. Tai Po also became the first district team to win the championship after Yuen Long did it in 1963.
However, it is believed one of their major financiers will not continue his support leaving Tai Po with a smaller budget to deal with renewed challenges in the coming season and facing great difficulty in defending their title.
“We are facing some financial constraints but will definitely continue our presence in the Premier League,” said club secretary Chan Ping. “Of course, our budget will be affected because of the change and if we cannot solicit sufficient resources, which we are working hard to do at the moment, we will need to revisit our players’ list and may form a young but energetic side for next season. If that happens, it will be very difficult for us to defend the title.”
District clubs receive government support of HK$1.5 million a season plus a subsidy from their local council. They have to raise the rest of their budget through commercial sponsorship or individual monetary support.
“We don’t know how much we can raise but it will be very difficult to secure what we have had for this season,” Chan said. “But some of the players are still under contract for next season and we have to take care of them. If we fail, we may have to let them go to release our burden.”
Some of the players are still under contract for next season and we have to take care of them. If we fail, we may have to let them go to release our burden
Tai Po played their last match of the season on Wednesday in a 1-1 draw against Hang Yuen FC of Taiwan in the AFC Cup group stage.
Coach Lee Chi-kin, who was named the Coach of the Year after leading the club to Premier League glory, said after the AFC Cup match he would leave Tai Po after spending three happy seasons.
Lee said he had been trying to work out a plan with the club for next season but could not reach any agreement. He only made the decision a couple of days before the match.
It is believed Lee will join Eastern next season.
A number of the club’s players, who have worked with the coach since their schoolboy days, may also follow Lee out of the club including captain Wong Wai, forward Lee Ka-yiu and defenders Fung Hing-wah and Leung Kwun-chung.
Footballer of the Year, Brazilian forward Igor Sartori has already left Tai Po to join big spending R&F. The Guangzhou-based outfit finished second behind Tai Po last season but will maintain their budget of HK$50 million for the coming season.
