How Hong Kong football went from Asia’s top league to second tier
- The 1986 decision to ban all foreign players from the Hong Kong First Division was the beginning of the end for the city’s top flight
- Dale Tempest, John Spencer and Peter Bodak were among the stars when overseas pros returned in 1989 but the damage had already been done
The end of Hong Kong’s golden era was largely expected but the way it happened remains, to this day, inexplicable. No single decision has had such a negative impact in the history of Hong Kong sport.
With Hong Kong’s domestic football scene thriving in the mid-80s – and Hong Kong beating China in a World Cup qualifier in 1985 – the local governing body made two decisions that ensured the game would never be the same.
The first was to cut the number of foreign players allowed for each side to four, from five. In fairness, it was for the benefit of Hong Kong players and did not, at the time, seem that drastic. But it was enough for Bulova – one of the biggest teams in Hong Kong – to pull out of the league.
Then came the hammer blow. The HKFA decided that, for the 1986 season, all overseas professionals would be banned so there would be more parity among teams and local players would have more playing opportunities.
The move was too much for Hong Kong’s top team, Seiko, who decided to follow Bulova out the door. Crowds of 28,000, a competitive league and high-profile stars disappeared in a single season. Although the overseas pros were to return for the 1989-90 campaign – bringing in the likes of Dale Tempest, John Spencer and a returning Peter Bodak who contributed much to the local scene – the damage had been done. Hong Kong football has yet to recover.