Hong Kong coach Jorn Andersen has accused several Chinese clubs of stopping some of his best players from taking part in next month’s Asian Cup qualification matches in India – even though Fifa regulations say they have to release them. Andersen said he had received letters from Vas Nunez, Leung Nok-hang and Sandro, three of the five players plying their trade on the mainland, asking not to be included in the squad for the upcoming tournament, and accused the clubs of pressuring them into the decision. He is also expecting to lose the services of Tan Chun-lok and Li Ngai-hoi, and said the pair had been told they had to commit to playing this week, when he expects to name a 25-strong squad. “We have given them [Tan and Li] this week [to decide] as we want to select them for the Fifa window from May 30 to June 14,” Andersen said. “It’s not the first time [Chinese clubs have done this]. They also did not allow Hong Kong players to go for the World Cup Asian zone qualification tournament in Bahrain last year. “I have a lot of experience in football as a player and a coach in many countries and what they are doing in China, I don’t like it. If they [China] are playing, they will stop the league for three months and prepare the national team. But if they have to give players to other countries, which is normal, then the players will not be allowed to go.” Jorn Andersen names first Hong Kong squad ahead of Asian Cup qualifiers Hong Kong face India, Afghanistan and Cambodia between June 8 and 14 for a spot in the 2023 Asian Cup in China. Because the tournament falls within a designated international break, Fifa regulations say clubs have to release players to play for their countries if selected. Nunez (Meizhou Hakka), Leung (Zhejiang Pro), and Tan (Guangzhou City) all play in the Chinese Super League, which has yet to start its new season because of the Covid-19 outbreak sweeping through parts of the mainland. Li (Nantong Zhiyun) and Sandro (Guangxi Pingguo Haliao) both play in League One, and Sandro’s letter reached the Hong Kong Football Association on Tuesday. “The Chinese clubs don’t like the [Hong Kong] team, normally the national team has the right to have the players, have the right everywhere [in the world]. Fifa supports the national team,” said Andersen, who replaced Mixu Paatelainen in December. Andersen believes the players were pressured not to take part because they would be subjected to four weeks of quarantine on their return. “The players are scared because they take the money from the club, not from here,” Andersen said. “I think the players want to play for Hong Kong, but the clubs wrote a letter and sent it to us and the players had to sign it saying that they don’t want to. It’s all from the clubs.” ‘More confidence and power’ says Andersen ahead of Asian Cup qualifiers Apart from the five players who play across the border, Andersen has also lost reliable Kitchee centre-back Helio Goncalves, who cited family reasons for not going to India, while another Kitchee defender, Shinchi Chan, is also unavailable after being hit with a one-year international ban by the HKFA over his role in an incident while on under-23 duty in Japan. “We go to the Asian Cup qualification tournament without our seven best players,” Andersen said. “It’s pandemic, yes, it’s coronavirus, yes, but for me it’s not good, and for Hong Kong football it’s not good. It’s not a friendly match in Myanmar or in Laos. It’s a qualification tournament and for me it’s important and it’s also important for Hong Kong … We are not Germany, not Brazil who have 100 players who are of the same quality.”