Give Hong Kong women’s football elite treatment or see it remain in backwaters, says coach
As city miss out on an Asian Cup spot, Ricardo Rambo says sport’s set-up needs more resources, hi-tech support to compete with top nations
Ricardo Rambo said Hong Kong must treat women’s football as an elite sport, or accept existing in the shadow of more dynamic and heavily resourced Asian rivals.
Head coach Rambo’s team suffered AFC Asian Cup qualifying heartbreak in Cambodia on Saturday when they lost 1-0 to much-higher-ranked Philippines in a straight shoot-out to reach next year’s Australian finals.
Although Rambo drew some satisfaction from his world No 80 team “closing gaps to the best sides defensively and in their tactical understanding”, he acknowledged Hong Kong needed increased resources and hi-tech support to compete with leading countries.
“We need more manpower, so we have staff working to analyse matches and players,” Rambo said. “That would allow us to have an individual approach to players, so we can create a profile and physical condition for each of them.
“To improve in modern football, you need data and analysis.”
With the Asian qualifiers doubling up as a pathway to the 2027 World Cup, Hong Kong will have to wait until 2029, at least, to feature again in a major tournament.