Hong Kong teams 'could play in China competitions' in bid to benefit from mainland's soccer revolution

Oft-mooted plan will be raised again as HKFA seeks ‘tangible’ boost from China’s cash splurge

Chinese Super League 2016

James Porteous

Published: 1:00pm, 6 Feb 2016

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The oft-mooted idea of a Hong Kong team taking part in China competitions could be back on the agenda as the HKFA tries to come up with ways to benefit from the mainland’s football explosion.

Chinese teams have stunned world football in recent weeks by paying massive fees for players who never previously would have considered moving to China.

The Asian transfer record has been broken several times, with big-name players such as Ramires (Chelsea to Jiangsu Suning, 28m euros), Jackson Martinez (Atletico Madrid to Guangzhou Evergrande 43m euros) and Alex Teixeira (Shakhtar Donetsk to Jiangsu, 50m euros) signing huge contracts.

Many of mainland China’s biggest companies and richest men are eager to associate themselves with football now, after president Xi Jinping demanded that sport in general and football in particular improve greatly and becomes a much larger part of the economy.

Alex Teixeira is the latest massive signing for China. Photo: AFP

So far the effect on Hong Kong has mainly been limited to several of the national team’s players moving to the mainland for far more lucrative contracts than they can earn locally.

But now the Hong Kong Football Association are seeking to come up with more concrete ways to benefit from the revolution going on across the border.

It would be stupid not to at least consider how HK football can benefit from these developments

Mark Sutcliffe

“As you would expect we are trying to think about how Hong Kong football can benefit even vicariously from this increased interest and investment,” said HKFA chief executive Mark Sutcliffe. “Indeed it is one thing that we will discuss at our next technical committee meeting [on February 17].”

One idea could be to have a Hong Kong team or teams take part in one or more of China’s competitions. It has long been floated, but has never happened because of a range of concerns, including the possible effect on Hong Kong’s football autonomy within Fifa, previous endemic corruption in Chinese football, logistical difficulties, etc.

Hong Kong’s Jean Jacques Kilama is among several national team players who have moved to clubs in China. Photo: AFP

Sutcliffe highlighted the current “ripple effect” China is having on Hong Kong, with national team players improving by playing in a stronger league, and local teams enjoying better facilities in friendlies against mainland opposition for example.

READ MORE: HK$500 million masterplan: how Hong Kong football hopes to capitalise on excitement generated by World Cup qualifiers against China

“But we will also be considering more tangible ways we can tap into the changes happening over the border without compromising our independence,” he added.

“This will include revisiting the possibility of taking part in some of their competitions.

Hong Kong fans welcome the Chinese football team on to the pitch at Mong Kok Stadium. Would supporters be interested in a HK club side competing on the mainland? Photo: AFP

“It would be stupid not to at least consider how HK football can benefit from these developments.”

Many logistical hurdles would have to be overcome for a HK team to take part, and it would be next season at the earliest before it happened, with 2018 likelier.

The recent tensions between supporters as Hong Kong played China in World Cup qualifying would be another factor that authorities would have to consider.

Since any team entering the Chinese league would have to work its way up from the bottom of the pyramid, the CFA Cup seems a more likely competition for HK to dip its toe in the mainland football waters.

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