‘Proud’ Roberto Losada fends off global competitors to secure Hong Kong head coach post
Former Eastern boss launches permanent city team reign with Friday night Hong Kong Stadium Mongolia clash
Six months after they launched their hunt for a Hong Kong boss with “a global vision and professional competence”, the local football association decided the best man was under their noses all along.
A “happy and very proud” Roberto Losada, in interim charge for the past six months, was on Friday named permanent head coach, albeit he was unsure over the length of his contract.
After weighing up the credentials of more than 300 applicants, Eric Fok Kai-shan, chairman of the Football Association of Hong Kong, China (HKFA), said Losada was the right man to oversee a “rebuilding job”.
“We’re at a crossroads, and we need a coach who understands the Hong Kong football ecosystem,” Fok said. “We want stability, because from there you can develop and grow.
“We also want someone who has experience of coaching young players … we have lots of older players and believe that we need to bring in youngsters to rebuild the team. We believe [Losada] is No 1: the best fit for our current team.”
Not all supporters airing their thoughts on social media agreed with Fok. Some were incredulous that Losada, who will launch his permanent tenure with a Hong Kong Stadium friendly against Mongolia on Friday, before the city team play Cambodia in Phnom Penh next Tuesday, could be the best pick from a large candidate pool.