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Paul McNamara

Lee Chi-kin has been presented with one of the biggest dilemmas of his long managerial career ahead of Tai Po’s FA Cup final date with Eastern District on Saturday.
Already without two outgoing attackers, James Temelkovski and Lucas Silva, who have both left Hong Kong, Lee is considering whether to pick influential winger Michel Renner, who is expected to join his final opponents this summer.
The Cup winners will play AFC Champions League Two football next season.
With more Tai Po players expected to follow Renner to Eastern District, Silva among them, Lee said that some “will go there, maybe others will leave”.
“But wherever you go tomorrow, you need to do your best today,” he added. “It’s hard to say any more. Hong Kong football is very small, and players move around.”

Amid prevailing uncertainty over Tai Po’s plans for next season, Lee has hauled the club out of a mid-season trough to win eight straight games.
Champions last season, this term they accumulated seven ACL 2 points, won the Senior Shield and were league runners-up to Kitchee.
Given a relatively tight schedule over the opening half of the season, a catalogue of injuries, and the exits of regular starters Remi Dujardin, Daciel and Ngan Cheuk-pan to China, Lee could fairly claim in the event of victory this weekend that his side had eclipsed their title-winning campaign.
Expecting to be in charge next season, Lee said: “We gave 100 per cent to ACL 2 because we had to fight for Hong Kong.
“I don’t want to say I gave up the league but I made the choice to rest players when we were playing soon after [Asian matches].
“I spoke many times to the FA [about fixture demands], and I’ve tried my best to manage some difficult moments.
“We need to win one more game to go back to ACL2, and I’m hungry for it.”
Named in a 23-man Hong Kong squad on Wednesday for games next month against Mongolia and Cambodia, goalkeeper Tse Ka-wing is facing the prospect of watching the Mong Kok Stadium final from the bench.
Long recovered from a thigh injury, Tse has been unable to budge deputy Lo Siu-kei, who recorded five clean sheets in Tai Po’s past 10 games.
“When [Lo’s] chance came he proved himself and there is no reason to change,” Lee said. “This will also be good motivation for Ka-wing.”
Igor Sartori, the Tai Po forward, is hoping to deliver a blockbuster final to persuade casual fans among an expected bumper crowd to keep coming back.
“First, we want to win, we have experienced players who understand that we need to get to ACL2,” said Sartori, who won the Cup with Kitchee in 2023, following final defeats as a player at Tai Po and R&F.
“But to get the result we want, we need to perform in a way that fans will like and talk about, and want to come back.”
Ordinarily, underdogs Eastern District would be capturing the headlines after reaching a major final in their first season as a Premier League club.
“It’s really good for Hong Kong football that they got to the final,” said Sartori, who is committed to Tai Po for next season. “I want more teams, more investment and more quality players in the league.”
Helio Goncalves, who joined Eastern District last summer after 11 years with Kitchee, acknowledged the campaign had been “way better than I expected.”
Five times an FA Cup winner with his former club, Goncalves said: “It’ll require more focus and concentration to win [for Eastern District], but I’ll be encouraging the others to believe and fight until the end.”
“The opportunity to qualify for ACL2 is there and we’ll go for it. Tai Po are strong, but we have our weapons.”


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Hong Kong FA Cup final dilemma for Tai Po boss, key players set to join opponents

Michael Renner, here surrounded by three Rangers players during February’s Senior Shield final, is set to swap Tai Po for Eastern District. Photo: Elson Li

James Temelkovski, here scoring from the spot against Cong An Hanoi, has already left Tai Po. Photo: Elson Li 

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Sport

Football

Asian Champions League Two football on line when Lee Chi-kin’s team meet Eastern District on Saturday


Asian Champions League Two football on line when Lee Chi-kin’s team meet Eastern District on Saturday.


Eastern District SA

James Temelkovski

Ngan Cheuk-pan

Lee Chi-kin

Hong Kong FA Cup final dilemma for Tai Po boss, key players set to join opponents

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Asian Champions League Two football on line when Lee Chi-kin’s team meet Eastern District on Saturday

Asian Champions League Two football on line when Lee Chi-kin’s team meet Eastern District on Saturday