Yesterday, the Hong Kong national football club announced its 25-man squad for the start of its World Cup qualifying campaign.
The decision was, however, met with grumbles from some who complained that roughly half of those on the roster were either naturalised athletes or born in China.
One of the local players selected is Kitchee SC Captain Lo Kwan-yee, who expressed concerns that homegrown talent may be discouraged from participating in the sport.
Over the weekend, Kitchee SC won the FA Cup with just four Hong Kong-born players.
Kim Pan-gon, coach of the Hong Kong national football club, responded by telling locals to stop whining and work harder if they want to make the grade.
Kim was quoted in the SCMP as saying, “If they were good enough, we would not have to look outside”.
Oooh, burn. That’s one surefire way of boosting team morale.
He added that at this level only performance and passion count, not colour or origins.
“Naturalised players also have to give up a lot to represent Hong Kong,” he stressed.
Hong Kong will open their Asian qualifier for the 2018 World Cup at home against Bhutan on June 11, before taking on the Maldives on June 16.
In addition, they will also face Qatar and China in a combined qualifying tournament for the 2018 World Cup and the 2019 Asian Cup.
Photo: See-ming Lee via Flickr
