Hong Kong boss Gary White faces first real test as EAFF Championship qualifiers get underway in Taiwan
- Englishman leads side in the first competitive matches of his tenure in Hong Kong
- White’s side face North Korea, Taiwan and Mongolia in the qualifiers with one team reaching the 2019 finals
Can you remember the last time Hong Kong defeated China in an international tournament?
As new coach Gary White leads his first Hong Kong side to the EAFF Championship round two in Taiwan this weekend, his target will be straightforward: finish first at the four-team tournament so that Hong Kong advance to next year’s finals where they will meet China, South Korea and Japan for a crack at the trophy.
It was over two decades ago, in the predecessor to the EAFF Championship when it was known as the Dynasty Cup, that Hong Kong defeated “Big Brother” China.
Featuring the four top teams in the region, the Dynasty Cup was inaugurated in 1990 as an unofficial East Asian Championship with the participation of South Korea, Japan, China and North Korea. After the first the two versions, North Korea pulled out, allowing Hong Kong to join the three other regional heavyweights for the 1995 tournament. They finished third after defeating China in a penalty shoot-out in the third-place match.
With the establishing of the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) in 2002, the tournament’s name also changed to the EAFF Championship with Japan, China and South Korea occupying three permanent seats while all other members of the federation were made to compete for the remaining spot through qualifiers.