Football safety fears as Hong Kong women’s team play during lightning, thunderstorm signal
- City’s team finish game against Indonesia amid farcical flooding, after earlier questions over why women were relegated to artificial pitch
Head coach Ricardo Rambo said he was worried for the safety of his players, as Hong Kong women’s 4-1 friendly victory over Indonesia was hit by thunder, lightning and torrential rain.
Soon after half-time, with a thunderstorm warning having been raised earlier in the day by Hong Kong Observatory, water began pooling on the artificial surface at Hong Kong Football Club (HKFC). Midfielder Fu Chiu-man was taken away in an ambulance following a heavy collision as conditions deteriorated, but Supiree Testhomya, the referee, opted to complete the match.
“We couldn’t dribble or pass,” said Wai Yuen-ting, Hong Kong’s opening goalscorer. “When the ball came to you, you tried to kick it away, but it stopped in front of you.”
Rambo, whose team swept into a 4-0 half-time lead, was more concerned about flashes from above. “At some points, with the lightning, I was quite worried,” he said.
“But the referee is responsible [for playing on]. The first thing is the safety of the players … next time, we have to really pay attention to every situation that could happen.”
Indonesia head coach Satoru Mochizuki said: “We could not change it. Whatever the situation, the players had to keep fighting.”