Coronavirus: Kitchee forced to send players to Bangkok to train for Champions League after Hong Kong locked down

Club’s preparations for Asian Champions League hit hard by pandemic, with domestic season suspended since early January

Kitchee just missed the knockout round last year but face a tougher job this time because of the Covid-19 restrictions

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Veteran striker Dejan Damjanovic is still the man to watch for Kitchee in the Asian Champions League despite his age because of his vast experience in the regional tournament. Damjanovic in action for Kitchee against Guangzhou FC of China in last year’s Champions League group match at Buriram Stadium in Buriram, Thailand. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 1:15pm, 24 Feb 2022

Hong Kong football side Kitchee has said its players will fly to Bangkok in two weeks to prepare for their Asian Champions League group matches in April, after the government cancelled all sport because of a surge in Covid-19 cases.

All sport has been suspended since January in Hong Kong, and officials recently extended strict social-distancing regulations until April 20. The domestic football season is expected to be abandoned all together.

Kitchee play their first match in group J against Chiangrai United of Thailand on April 16, and Chu Chi-kwong, their director of football, said the team had already lost valuable time in preparing for the regions top club competition.

Kitchee football director Chu Chi-kwong at Mong Kok Stadium. Photo: Chan Kin-wa

“Hong Kong football has been severely hit by the pandemic since 2020 but this latest round of attack makes us suffer much more,” Chu said. “The season has been suspended since early January and for almost two months we have no formal training in the mid of the season which is beyond anyone’s thought for a professional football club.

“This has not only interrupted our domestic campaign but more importantly our preparation for the Champions League which will start in April. We have been planning this [overseas training] for a while, and wanted to see if there was any improvement of the situation in Hong Kong, but now we have to go with more than a month before the tournament starts.”

Also in Kitchee’s group are Shanghai Port of China, and either Australian side Melbourne Victory or Vissel Kobe of Japan, who meet in a play-off for the final group spot on March 15.

Formerly head coach of the club, Chu said he knew Bangkok well as he had led the club to preseason training there for a number of times.