Meet the Hong Kong footballer who’s playing at the World Cup – just not in Russia
Lee Man’s Korean defender Son Min-chol is going to the alternative tournament in London, while local clothing giant Giordano is a sponsor
This World Football Cup is organised by CONIFA, the Confederation of Independent Football Associations, a body that recognises “nations, de-facto nations, regions, minority peoples and sports isolated territories”.
CONIFA was founded five years ago and its first World Cup was a year later in Sweden. This year’s tournament in the English capital is the third, the first won by the County of Nice and the 2016 edition by Abkhazia, a disputed territory in Georgia.
The holders are one of 16 teams taking part including United Koreans in Japan, the team made up of the “zainichi Koreans”, Japan’s long-term ethnic Korean community.
Instead of putting his feet up after a long season where his side finished eighth on the 10-team table, Son will be in London and hoping to still be there for the final on June 10 .
Son used to play for FC Korea, an ethnic Korean team that play lower league football in Japan, and also went to the country’s Korea University before joining up with Lee Man in Hong Kong from Indian side Mumbai FC.
He has also represented North Korea at age group level and he is not the only pro footballer who will be taking part in London.