OpinionBelgium fan club drinks in the World Cup emotion like its famous craft beer at Hong Kong brewpub

“Where are you from?” asks the barman. “England,” I say.

“I’m sorry,” is his knee-jerk response, then after pause for thought, “oh, you’re still in.”

The Belgian bartender works at The Artist House, which is the venue for the Belgian Club Hong Kong and according to signage on the street encompasses “craft beer, aquafarming, fragrance bar and events space”. Thankfully, somewhere between those pillars falls the football and there are 13 Belgium fans watching at kick-off, no mean feat for a 2am start in a bar that’s up an escalator in a mall in Causeway Bay.

The Belgian contingent swells to 18 as fans drift in during the first 15 minutes.

By then, there have been chances at both ends, enough to get almost every one in the room off their feet – but not the four fans occupying the individuals sofas in front of the screen.

One of those sports a current Belgium home shirt with Batshuayi on the back. The only other shirt in the room is from the last World Cup. One fan wears what can only be described as a tricolour troll wig.