Football: Kitchee star Charlie Scott admits Hong Kong champions ‘lost focus’ after highs of treble
- Midfielder urges teammates to ‘stick together’ and refocus amid ‘tough patch’ with five losses in nine matches
- Club have flopped in AFC Champions League, with source saying that schisms have developed in the squad
Midfielder Charlie Scott said Kitchee have been “punished for losing focus” this season – and the team’s dressing room is “not as happy” as during last term’s treble-winning campaign.
Scott made an impressive AFC Champions League debut against Bangkok United on Wednesday, but was unable to prevent his team from sliding to a third straight defeat in the competition.
The Hong Kong champions, who host Sham Shui Po in the Premier League on Sunday, have lost five of their nine matches in all competitions this season. They were beaten only six times in 38 games across the 2022-23 campaign.
Summer arrivals Ogenyi Onazi and Aleksandar Damcevski were left out of the midweek Champions League squad, and fans have criticised the club’s close season recruitment. Additionally, a source told the Post that schisms in the squad developed last season.
Scott acknowledged rotation of selection had been hard for some players. Of the team selected against Bangkok by interim head coach Kim Dong-jin, only eight started when Kitchee completed their treble success in May’s FA Cup final against BC Rangers.
Asked if the Kitchee dressing room felt settled, Scott told the Post: “I would say it is 50-50. Only a limited number of foreigners can play [six]. If there are changes every week, it is tough to establish a settled team that knows its job.
