‘We may have to abandon the season’ – Hong Kong Premier League thrown into disarray as pandemic returns
- Football Association had planned to resume the remaining season in August but all venues have been closed indefinitely
- If the season is abandoned, R&F may get the nod to represent Hong Kong at the AFC Champions League
The Hong Kong Premier League will know this week if the current season will be abandoned following a worrying resurgence of the coronavirus in the city.
The Hong Kong Football Association is requesting clubs’ comments on the plan to resume the season in August with the current situation looking grimmer by the day. With 73 confirmed new coronavirus positive cases recorded on Monday in Hong Kong, the chances of resuming the 2019/20 season looks increasingly unlikely.
“All football venues have been closed indefinitely and if the pandemic continues to spread and cannot be controlled this week, it will be difficult for us to resume the league as planned,” said Football Association chairman Pui Kwan-kay.
“Letters have been sent out to clubs last week providing them with different options before we make a decision. If we cannot resume competition, we may have to abandon the season.”
Pui said they had planned to give the clubs at least four weeks for training before the season is supposed to restart on August 22. But with the government closing all venues last week following a third wave of the pandemic, there has been no training grounds for the six clubs who will participate in the league for the remaining season. Even the association’s Football Training Centre in Tseung Kwan O has also stopped operations due to the pandemic.