Youth football in Hong Kong needs urgent revamp, say owner and captain of Rangers, who won cup designed for under-22s
- Rangers owner Philip Lee says city’s football cannot improve without a better youth programme and more money flowing into the game
- Retiring captain Lam Ka-wai says local players ‘must be braver’ and not be content to be wrapped in straitjackets by coaches
Two of the chief architects of BC Rangers’ Sapling Cup success have underlined the urgent need for an overhaul of youth development in Hong Kong.
Rangers heaped more misery on embattled Kitchee in the final of a competition designed to provide playing chances for emerging talent.
It was a “bittersweet” day for Philip Lee Fai-lap, the club’s owner. The silverware ended Rangers’ 29-year drought, but Lee announced immediately after Wednesday’s match that he was stepping down as a club director, because “the burden is too big, and I am an old man”.
The 74-year-old said he was “wasting money every season”, with the local game struggling to command interest from fans and sponsors.
“There is more focus on developing young players in most football countries, and without this there will be no improvement in Hong Kong,” Lee added.
The Sapling Cup final brought down the curtain on the 22-year career of Rangers captain, Lam Ka-wai.