Hong Kong forward Awal slept through World Cup recall, says Asian Cup finals axe left him ‘mentally, not OK’
- Mahama Awal has seven Hong Kong caps following a debut in March 2023, 32-year-old relinquished Cameroonian nationality to acquire passport
- Southern attacker missed opportunity to feature in March qualifier, after sleeping through calls to summon him for Uzbekistan trip
Mahama Awal said he was “mentally, not OK”, after being dropped from Hong Kong’s squad for the AFC Asian Cup finals in January.
The forward, who plays for Southern, started a World Cup qualifier in Iran back in November, and was included in Jorn Andersen’s preliminary party for the Qatar tournament.
Awal made his Hong Kong debut in March 2023, barely a fortnight after dashing to Beijing to relinquish his Cameroonian nationality and obtain a passport.
The 32-year-old, who slept through a late-night call to summon him for a recent World Cup game in Uzbekistan, cited the Asian Cup as a primary target when disclosing his dream of representing Hong Kong.
Awal’s ambitions were shattered, however, when Andersen told him he would play no part in Hong Kong’s first major tournament since 1968.
“As a professional, mentally, I was not OK,” Awal said. “I felt so down. When I went onto the pitch [for Southern], I forgot about everything, but off the pitch, it would all come back.