Hong Kong football CEO Joaquin Tam ends controversial tenure, with sources saying he was sacked
- Tam became the chief executive of Hong Kong’s football association in May 2021 and has had to deal with a number of controversial issues
- His departure was confirmed after a meeting at the association, with his duties taken over by referees chief Charles Cheung
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The chief executive of the Hong Kong Football Association has left his role, the sport’s governing body confirmed on Thursday, with sources having told the Post he was fired after a series of controversial issues during his tenure.
The HKFA’s statement confirmed Joaquin Tam Chau-long would leave in August, after more than three years at the helm, but his duties as CEO would end immediately.
“The [HKFA] announces that the board of directors has accepted the resignation of chief executive officer Joaquin Tam Chau-long, and his employment terms will conclude in late August this year,” a spokesman for the association said.
“Effective immediately, the duties of the chief executive officer will be assumed by deputy secretary general and head of refereeing Charles Cheung Yim-yau until a suitable replacement is appointed.
“The association sincerely thanks Joaquin Tam for his service to the association over the past three years.”
Tam’s departure was confirmed at a board meeting at the association’s office in Kowloon on Wednesday.
However, sources with knowledge of the situation told the Post that Tam was fired at the meeting on Wednesday by HKFA chairman Eric Fok Kai-shan.
The source said that Tam’s sacking was Fok’s decision but the public announcement would be that the chief executive was stepping down.
The source said that Fok wanted Tam out “for months”, but the timing was not right previously, and Cheung had already assumed CEO duties in early May.
He added that the board did not vote on whether Tam should be moved on.
The association’s president, Pui Kwan-kay, told local media that “there were indeed differences between Tam and the board of directors on some matters”.
Local media also reported that Tam sent an email to staff at the association, thanking them for their support over the past three years and that they have been through “unusual highs and lows together and can be proud of HKFA’s recent and unprecedented achievements”.
Tam declined to speak when contacted by the Post. Fok and Cheung have been asked to comment.
Since becoming chief executive in May 2021, Tam has had to deal with a number of issues, including high-level management crises, questions over officiating and poor fixture management.
Earlier this month, the pressure on Tam increased when Kitchee boss Ken Ng Kin became the latest person to throw his weight behind the idea of an independent body to govern the Hong Kong Premier League.
Ng was just one of several influential people within the game in the city to have said the FA lacked the ability to promote the sport locally, and Lee Man’s president, Norman Lee Man-yan, said he wanted clubs to take control of the league.
Frankie Yau, Eastern’s vice-chairman, said the level of football in Hong Kong was stagnant, and suggested a “conflicted” FA had overstretched itself in trying to satisfy multiple stakeholders.
On the pitch, the 2023-24 season also saw several Video Assistant Referee (VAR) controversies. The Premier League does not use the technology in every game, raising questions over the competition’s credibility.
The most high-profile incident came in a game between Eastern and Kitchee in April when a seemingly clear handball did not result in a penalty.
Eastern, the victims of the mistake, then launched an attack on officiating in the HKPL and queried the integrity of the game, which ended 0-0.
The Hong Kong international team’s head coach Jorn Andersen previously criticised the association and said he was “not happy” that no one aside from Fok from the governing body attended the Asian Cup in Qatar in January.
