Coronavirus: only six out of 10 Hong Kong Premier League teams may be left to complete the season
- The Hong Kong Football Association has given clubs until the end of April to decide if they want to resume the season in August or September
- League leaders R&F say they will complete the season but Pegasus have already said they would stay out
Only six of the 10 Premier League teams may be left to complete the season when the competition is expected to resume in late summer, the Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) said on Thursday.
HKFA chairman Pui Kwan-kay said the 10 Premier League teams would be given until the end of the month to decide if they want to return to action, with the tournament having been suspended since March because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
He admitted that some teams may give up on this season but they would still be eligible to return for the next campaign.
“Some teams may not rejoin the competition because of the special situation and that is understandable,” Pui said after a board meeting at the HKFA headquarters in Ho Man Tin on Thursday. “But even if they decide not to finish the season, they will still be eligible for the 2020-2021 season because we have decided to maintain the 10 existing teams with no relegation and promotion for this season.”
The Hong Kong Premier League is at the halfway stage with eight teams having played nine games while two – Kitchee and Southern District – have played 10. R&F lead the standings with 22 points. Lee Man Warriors and Kitchee are on 19 points with Southern District fourth on 18. Yuen Long and BC Rangers are at the bottom with five points each.
Pui said the season could resume in mid August or September depending on the number of teams willing to play, with the following season set to kick off in late November and finish in June 2021.
“If we have more teams for the rest of the season, we will resume the competition earlier as we want to start the new season in late November,” he said. “This arrangement has a minimal impact on our normal schedule and we look for the cooperation of the teams.”
Other than the league, there are three cup finals to be completed for this season – the Sapling Cup final between Kitchee and Kwung Chung Southern, Senior Shield final between Eastern Long Lions and Lee Man and FA Cup final between Eastern and R&F.
These five teams, also in the championship battle, are expected to continue when the season resumes. According to HKFA rules, the results of teams who pull out of the season will be discounted.
“We will definitely finish the season as our target is set firmly on the championship,” R&F coach Yeung Ching-kwong said. “We do not know if it would affect our top position if some teams decide not to continue but it would not affect our decision.”
Yeung, however, was disappointed that transfers are not allowed before the season restarts. There will be a transfer window of 12 weeks to cover both seasons, according to the board’s decision.
“Some players may move to another team for the remainder of the season as most of the players’ contracts end in June. This will be weird as we are still in the same season when it resumes in August or September,” Yeung said.
The HKFA said players could play for another club during the remaining games of the season but they would not be allowed to play in the cup finals.
Of the other teams, Pegasus have announced they would not continue, saying it would be meaningless because they have no cup final nor league title to play for while Best Union Yuen Long and BC Rangers may follow suit. Wofoo Tai Po and Happy Valley have yet to decide.
