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Lars Hamer

Paul McNamara

Football clubs in Hong Kong have called for better communication from the city’s governing body after it cancelled bookings of facilities to hand them over to Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr and their rival Saudi Super Cup teams.
Recreational groups and Premier League clubs received messages at late notice stating that pitches were to be taken off them so that the Football Association of Hong Kong, China (HKFA) could block-book them for the four visiting Saudi sides.
Premier League club Eastern were forced to move nine sessions, spanning last Thursday to this Friday.
“It’s a little inconvenient for us, especially as the season starts soon,” a spokesman for Eastern said, adding that they had been “notified at very short notice” but that the FA had helped to find alternative places to train.
“Our club is delighted that the HKFA has the opportunity to participate in this event,” he said. “We believe that they can make better arrangements in the future.”

The Post has learned of amateur clubs receiving similar notifications from the HKFA, in one instance with two days’ notice, and being unhappy about the timing, although some of those involved were understanding about the reasons.
Kitchee player Danielle Vos also criticised the FA’s timing in announcing only on Friday that bookings at the Football Training Centre in Tseung Kwan O were to be cancelled to accommodate Al-Nassr. The move denied her team their training venue days before an Asian Champions League match.
“The Saudi Super Cup was confirmed in Hong Kong in June,” she said on social media. “[HKFA], was it just your incompetence in planning or your absolute lack of support for women’s football in Hong Kong that caused you to cancel our booking?”
The Tseung Kwan O centre, funded by the Jockey Club Charities Trust and operated by the HKFA, is the training base for the Hong Kong team but can also be booked by the public.
The HKFA has been approached for comment.
Al-Nassr will play Al-Ittihad on Tuesday in the first Saudi Super Cup semi-final at Hong Kong Stadium. Al-Qadsiah will take on Al-Ahli on Wednesday in the second semi-final.
Kowloon City vice-chairman Andrew Mak Yung-pan said communication was key, arguing that hosting events such as the Super Cup “brings tremendous value to our city” but that “our limited land resources inevitably create scheduling pressures”.
“Enhanced communication between stakeholders could have helped anticipate conflicts earlier and avoided the unfortunate situation,” he said. “Proactive engagement from the HKFA would allow us to maximise these opportunities while minimising disruption to local athletes.”
Professional clubs in Hong Kong have long lamented a shortage of facilities, with most having to share space with the public on government-owned pitches.
The HKFA’s Vision 2025 plan, drawn up in 2020, included a proposal to “explore the possibility to develop a dedicated football training centre on Northwest Kowloon or New Territories in the five-year period from 2020-2025”.
There has yet to be progress on such a centre.


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Photo: Instagram/d.vos14

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FA urged to ‘make better arrangements in future’ after professional and amateur teams forced to vacate facilities for Saudi Super Cup clubs


FA urged to ‘make better arrangements in future’ after professional and amateur teams forced to vacate facilities for Saudi Super Cup clubs.


Hong Kong footballers say pitch bookings were cancelled for Ronaldo’s team to use

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}FA urged to ‘make better arrangements in future’ after professional and amateur teams forced to vacate facilities for Saudi Super Cup clubs

FA urged to ‘make better arrangements in future’ after professional and amateur teams forced to vacate facilities for Saudi Super Cup clubs