Don't boo China national anthem, Hong Kong FA begs fans ahead of Maldives game

Home fans have been urged to remain peaceful as Hong Kong hope to capitalise on last week's success when they face Maldives tonight in their second World Cup Asian zone qualifying match at Mong Kok Stadium.

Brian Leung Hung-tak, chairman of the Hong Kong Football Association, yesterday called for fans to behave and be respectful following last week's incident when the crowd booed China's national anthem, March of the Volunteers, which has also been Hong Kong's since the handover in 1997.

"They come here to support the Hong Kong team and if they don't respect the national anthem, it also means they don't respect the players," said Leung.

"This behaviour may lead to an investigation by the world governing body as this is a World Cup qualifying match and we don't want to see Hong Kong matches to be played behind closed doors in the future."

With tickets at the 6,300-seat venue sold out, organisers are worried about a repeat of last week's incident that triggered a social media war of words between Hong Kong and China supporters.

Chinese netizens reacted strongly after the incident, with some even suggesting that troops be sent to Hong Kong to crack down on such behaviour.