Lionel Messi distraction is over for Hong Kong’s footballers as they return to action in Guangzhou – with player flown in from UK
- Three days after their minor roles in the Inter Miami circus, several players are to turn out for the city in Guangdong-Hong Kong Cup second leg
- Hong Kong pick Ellison Tsang despite him quitting the city for the UK when he found local pay was ‘insufficient to continue playing here’
As a Lionel Messi-shaped storm engulfed Hong Kong, the local players caught up in Sunday’s calamity were poised for a swift return to competitive action in Guangzhou on Wednesday.
Seven players who featured in the doomed exhibition match against Inter Miami, when enraged fans demanded refunds after Messi did not play, are in Jorn Andersen’s squad for the second leg of the Guangdong-Hong Kong Cup.
Also involved is Ellison Tsang Yi-hang, who played his first football since last year’s Asian Games when Hong Kong won the opening match 2-0 at a euphoric Mong Kok Stadium last Wednesday.
Defender Tsang moved to England to study straight after his stellar contribution to the under-23s’ run to the Asiad semi-finals in Hangzhou.
Tsang admitted any temptation to stay was trumped by the need to be “realistic” over his prospects of earning a sustainable living from the sport in Hong Kong.
“I love football, and was doing well, and the hope and expectation drags you in,” Tsang said. “Coaches asked if I would consider stopping my studies to play professionally. I wanted to do it so much, and at my age, it is the best time to grow and improve.
“I could achieve more in football if I paused my studies. But playing full-time would be a 10, 15-year commitment, so it would not be a pause, it would be a full stop.
“We are in Hong Kong, and sometimes we have no choice but to secure our future. The pay and benefits are insufficient to continue playing here.
“The FA is trying to improve everything, but the development of the football industry is going to take 15 to 20 years. The clubs and stakeholders need to collaborate to grow the system, so it is not just 11 teams in the Premier League, with limited sponsorship … we need more people aware of Hong Kong football.”
Tsang has represented Hong Kong at various age-group levels, and graduated from the youth system at Premier League champions Kitchee. He transferred to HKU23 last summer but made only three appearances before leaving for England.
“It is always sad when I talk about this, because I feel I have let people down: all the coaches who worked with me, and probably the FA,” Tsang said.
He was “grateful”, though, to receive the call from Andersen to come back to the city and try to pick up where he left off in Hangzhou. Sustainable living or not, the Hong Kong shirt meant enough that he got straight on a plane.
“Last week was my first time playing at home for Hong Kong,” he said. “I was nervous, and dealing with jet lag, but I absolutely loved it. Mong Kok was buzzing, and adrenaline got me through the game.”
Andersen was disappointed to be denied the services of players from Eastern, and most of the Kitchee contingent, for the game at Yuexiushan Stadium, ahead of the two clubs’ meeting in this weekend’s Senior Shield final.
He can, however, call on goalkeeper Tse Ka-wing, defensive linchpin Li Ngai-hoi and Philip Chan Siu-kwan, the coach’s reliable midfield lieutenant, after the trio figured in Sunday’s Miami match as well as the Asian Cup finals in Qatar.
“The head coach is doing a lot of great things for football in Hong Kong,” Tsang said. “Better results will mean more opportunities for the industry.”
