By Wei Hua
8, Hong Kong men's soccer team in the Asian Cup qualifiers in the first match against Afghanistan, targeting the 2023 Asian Cup final round. Fok Kai Shan, vice chairman of the Hong Kong Football Association, revealed in an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency that the team is doing its best to get out of the group.
Hong Kong are in Group D, alongside India and Cambodia, with the winners of the 11 groups advancing to the Asian Cup. The Hong Kong team has already started several rounds of training for the first test after Anderson's appointment. Despite the suspension of matches due to the recent epidemic, the team is aiming to show a new look in the tournament through fitness recovery and technical and tactical training.
Huo Qishan said that although the team lost to Malaysia in the warm-up match, the overall performance met the coach's requirements. He expects the team to show a new style under the leadership of the new coach.
The Hong Kong team will also participate in the East Asian Cup in July, competing against China, Japan and South Korea. Fok Kai-san was elected vice-chairman at the EAF Congress and the East Asian Cup will be his first major tournament after taking up the post. He expects the tournament to be exciting and to raise the standard of East Asian soccer.
Fok emphasized that although the Hong Kong team is a little less powerful, playing against high-level teams is a learning opportunity. He hopes to promote the development of soccer in Asia through his tenure at the FFA and looks forward to the completion of the Kai Tak Sports Park in Hong Kong in 2023, which will provide a platform for world-class tournaments.
Hong Kong player Tai Wai-chun shines in the World Cup Asian qualifiers. Fok Kai-san said Hong Kong supports players to go to the Mainland to develop and improve their soccer skills. Soccer exchanges between Hong Kong and the mainland began with the 1979 Provincial Hong Kong Cup, and it is expected that after the epidemic, soccer exchanges between the two places will restart.
Hong Kong has a strong soccer atmosphere with a total of 317 soccer pitches. Mr. Fok revealed that the HKFA is actively promoting soccer by arranging live TV broadcast of the new season matches to attract more viewers and sponsorship to support the development of soccer.
Despite the resistance brought by the epidemic to Hong Kong soccer, the various departments of the HKFA have responded positively and worked hard to bring soccer back to the public eye. Fok thanked the SAR Government for its support and looked forward to more good news for the Hong Kong football market once the epidemic has stabilized.
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