Coronavirus: Hong Kong clubs abandon football season for the first time in history, as restrictions wipe out calender
- With stadiums and facilities closed since early January because of a surge in infections, clubs feel it is impossible to complete the season on time
- Kitchee, Lee Man and Eastern are still active this season as they compete in the AFC’s regional club competitions
Hong Kong’s eight Premier League clubs have taken the unprecedented step of abandoning the season altogether with the pandemic-enforced closure of grounds making it impossible to complete the fixtures on time.
The clubs – Kitchee, Lee Man, Eastern, BC Rangers, Resources Capital, HK Under 23s, Hong Kong Football Club and Kwoon Chung Southern – came to a consensus on Friday that the remaining matches are unlikely to be played and their only choice was to cancel the season.
“This is a very difficult decision,” said Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) chief executive Joaquin Tam. “In the past two months, we have been trying our best to discuss with the government and the clubs, hoping to find a feasible plan to continue the season.
“But unfortunately, the epidemic situation is getting worse, the stadiums need to be temporarily closed until at least April 20 because of social-distancing measures.
“There are still many uncertainties, and players also need to resume training for about three to four weeks before the games can resume. Therefore, the eight Premier League teams agreed to cancel the season.”
Over the past two years during Covid-19 restrictions, the HKFA has somehow managed to at least complete the season. However, the fifth wave of coronavirus infections is the city’s worst yet, with confirmed cases for the first time reaching five figures on Friday, totalling 10,010. Since early January all sports facilities have remained closed.
The last elite football match played in Hong Kong was the Sapling Cup clash between Resources Capital and Lee Man on January 5, which the latter won 2-1. Soon afterwards, the Hong Kong government closed public sports facilities because of a surge in Covid-19 cases fuelled by the Omicron variant.
As the governing body, the HKFA board has the right to reject the clubs’ move but top officials are also resigned to the fact that restarting the season is not feasible. In addition, HKFA regulations require board members to meet face to face and that scenario is ruled out because of Hong Kong’s social-distancing rules.
“There is no way the board can go against this because the clubs have reached a consensus and we cannot force them to play,” said HKFA chairman Pui Kwan-kay.
It is not known what arrangements clubs will be making with their players but at least three teams – Kitchee, Lee Man and Eastern – are still involved in Asian Football Confederation tournaments this season.
Champions Kitchee are playing in the AFC Champions League and will be preparing for the competition in Thailand, which has removed quarantine restrictions as the country tries to live with the coronavirus.
Kitchee are in Group J with Thai side Chiangrai United and China’s Shanghai East Asia, while Lee Man and Eastern are set to take part in Asia’s second-tier club competition, the AFC Cup.
The HKFA is now looking forward to next season and hopes to kick off the 2022-23 campaign in August, a month earlier than usual. However, it is uncertain how many of the eight clubs will want to play next season.
Apart from Kitchee, the Hong Kong senior team are also headed to Thailand to prepare for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers.
New manager Jorn Andersen will take his team to Kolkata in June for their Group D clashes against hosts India, Afghanistan and Cambodia. The top team from each of the six qualifying groups will advance to next year’s finals in China.
