Hong Kong still wait on Festus Baise with Guizhou insisting he stays for their final two Chinese Super League matches
- The Chinese club are already relegated and want the Hong Kong player to stay
- Hong Kong face Taiwan on Sunday, same day as Baise’s last game for Guizhou
Hong Kong are still hoping Festus Baise can be released from his Chinese Super League club in time for the EAFF Championship second round in Taiwan.
The Guizhou Hengfeng defender was the only player missing from the squad when they held their second training session at Tseung Kwan O Football Training Centre on Tuesday.
Although Guizhou have already been relegated with two rounds of the campaign left, Baise was to remain in China for their visit to Henan Jianye on Wednesday. Their final game is against Chongqing Siwei on Sunday.
“My club wants me to finish these coming two games before travelling back to Hong Kong,” said Baise, who has made 24 appearances for Hong Kong since he was first selected to the team in 2015. “I am still discussing with my team to release me early but anyway I will finish the game on Wednesday and see what happens.”
The tournament, which kicks off in Taipei on Sunday when Hong Kong take on the hosts, does not fall in the Fifa window, which begins only on Monday and makes it mandatory for clubs to release players for international duty.