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Interview with Mr. Kwok Ka Ming

Profile ：
Born October 30, 1949. With 96 caps during his playing career, he was a core member of the Hong Kong-China national team. Appointed head coach of the Hong Kong-China national team in 1982 and served for eight years, and was called back again in 1996 to lead the team in 130 matches in two years. Currently serves as coaching instructor not only for the Hong Kong-China FA but also for AFC and FIFA, making an enormous contribution to assist coaches throughout Asia.

--The Golden Era--
From the late 1960s and through the 70s, Hong Kong was among the top football powers in Asia, mainly due to the establishment in 1968 of a professional league, which was the first in Asia. Not only were the players able to concentrate on football, but such superstars as George Best, who built a reputation at Manchester United, former coach of the China PR national team, Ahly Hahn, and many others came to play in Hong Kong, thus presenting an opportunity to learn so much in a highly talented environment. The Hong Kong national team advanced to the final round of the 1978 FIFA World Cup™ Asian preliminaries and captured a 2-1 victory from China PR in the 1986 preliminaries. Those were the best memories in Hong Kong football history.

--Decline Shadows Hong Kong-China Football--
The level of Hong Kong's football started to wane in the late 1980s, and there were a number of reasons for this. Failing to return the revenue from football lotteries to football, there was a serious lack of support from the government. In the meantime, rivals such as Japan, Korea Rep. and China PR began to establish professional leagues of their own, reinforcing their football potential. More and more international players started playing for clubs in one of these three countries, and the attraction of playing in the Hong Kong league diminished. Ironically, Hong Kong fans had the privilege to watch European football on free terrestrial television, which steered their interest from the national league to broadcasts of European matches. The emergence of other forms of entertainment, such as movies and computer games, can also be counted as a cause for the decrease in the public's interest in football. The national team was struggling on the international scene, and the number of vacant seats in the stadium continued to grow. Hong Kong football indeed entered the "ice age."

--The Veterans' Quest for Revival--
International experience is vital. Hong Kong had tried to bring about changes every time there was a competition such as the preliminaries for the FIFA World Cup™ or the Asian Cup. In 2003, Lai Sun Cheung, a native from Hong Kong, was appointed head coach of the national team, and reinforcement efforts were to be made on a regular basis. Friendly matches against 4-time World Cup champion, Brazil, and the glamorous Real Madrid were scheduled. Instead of sending a team composed of foreign talent picked from the Hong Kong league to the traditional Carlsberg Cup, more native Hong Kong players were selected so that they can gain the experience of playing against the world's top-class teams.

--Aiming for a Place in the EAFF Championship--
In this respect, the inauguration of the East Asian Football Championship in 2003 was a blessing for Hong Kong. There are no words to describe how valuable it is for Hong Kong to have a chance to play against other East Asian rivals in a competitive format. Hong Kong managed to qualify for the final round of the 1st East Asian Football Championship. Though Hong Kong lost all three matches, the score against Japan was 0-1, with the deciding goal being a penalty kick, and a goal was scored against both Korea Rep. and China PR. Having demonstrated a level game against teams that have played in the 2002 FIFA World Cup™ gave Hong Kong confidence. At the same time, another rival, DPR Korea, was absent from that competition. In the 2nd East Asian Football Championship 2005, Hong Kong played a close game with DPR Korea, but the match ended in a 0-2 loss and was unable to advance to the final round. Hong Kong's determination for the next tournament is strong, and we will go for the title, of course! But we realize that it won't be easy to beat Japan, Korea Rep. and China PR. If Hong Kong's level rises, so does the level of these teams. Hong Kong is not a country; it is a city. We need to know where we stand and continue to do what we can to sustain change and growth. Four years ago, Hong Kong was ranked 150 in the FIFA rankings, but now we are up to 116, which mean we are on the right track. The road ahead is long and steep, but we will do our very best.

Interview with Mr. Martin P. K. Hong, Chairman of the Hong Kong-China FA

Our association is putting a lot of emphasis on both the national "A" team and youth development. There are only a handful of Hong Kong-China clubs that have a youth level organization, so we are basing our efforts in the 18 districts throughout Hong Kong-China. Young players are placed in one of three selection teams in the area, and beyond that they are introduced to the national training center. The players are categorized into six age groups of 12, 13, 14, 15, 17 and 20 years of age, and they are consistently trained appropriately to their respective ages. We have devoted enormous time and effort to build our development program, which is essential for the growth of Hong Kong-China football. Our players possess a high level of tactical skills, but our concern is their stamina. Their lack of stamina was evident in the match against DPR Korea during the 2005 East Asian Football Championship Preliminary Competition. The majority of clubs rely heavily on foreigners, and perhaps this has a negative effect on the level of our domestic players. We wish to reinforce our players at all levels and develop a powerful force. If we can succeed in revitalizing our domestic league, we are confident that we will be able to watch matches played in a stadium full of spectators some day soon.

Future Leaders of East Asian Football Gather in Hong Kong-China

The AFC U-14 Festival of Football, Group H was held in Hong Kong-China from between April 29 and May 3, 2006. Hong Kong-China, Hong Kong-China A, China PR, DPR Korea, Chinese Taipei and Mongolia participated in this tournament, and the six teams played a two- or three-match round-robin, or a total of 26 matches altogether.
AFC project leader, Dr. Annathurai Ranganathan, explained that "the most important thing is to enjoy football." One look through the festival regulations and that is evident. On April 29 and 30, 30-minute single-half "Format 1" matches were played, and the seven reserve players were guaranteed to play in the next match. On May 2 and 3, where 30-minute half "Format 2" matches were played, the seven reserves had to be played in the second half.
"To enjoy football, you must play as much as possible. In this age group, it is more important to give everyone an equal chance rather than to differentiate between regulars and reserves. That is why we tell the coaches to minimize their instructions during the game and let the children play freely. There are no winners and losers, no rankings. Everybody is a champion here," emphasizes Dr. Ranganathan. But it is the nature of any football player seeing a ball on the pitch to want to play better and win.
On May 3, Hong Kong-China played China PR at the 48,000 capacity Hong Kong-China Stadium. Hong Kong-China had 1 win and 1 loss and their determination to defeat their compatriot team was visible from their expressions. The exciting match heated up the already humid 28-degree stadium. With many of the players standing over 180cm, China PR opened the match with fierce attacks on the Hong Kong-China goal. All but one of Hong Kong-China's players were pushed back to defend their side, but they were quick to make a switchover and generated a number of chances from piercing counterattacks. The goal seemed far away for Hong Kong-China as the two shots they made hit the bar. Hong Kong-China gradually found their rhythm in the second half. In the 49th minute, Liu Tsan Siu's long shot hit the bar again, but this time the ball found the goal mouth. The crowd was ecstatic with the outstanding performance of the local team.

With just under 10 minutes to go, China PR had to go for an all-out attack to tie the match. Hong Kong-China desperately tried to defend their goal. The climax came moments before the end of the match - China PR gained a free kick in front of Honk Kong's goal. The shot was saved by the goalkeeper, but the ball went loose and was kicked back to the center area where players from both sides dashed to meet it. Unfortunately for Hong Kong-China, the ball finally went in, the referee blew the whistle and China PR managed a draw. The Hong Kong-China players looked stunned and disappointed, but they quickly regained themselves and shook hands with the referee and their opponents, with whom they praised each other's efforts. "Both teams gave all they had and demonstrated fair play. It was a wonderful match," reflected Dr. Ranganathan. The true essence of sports was exhibited.
The highlight that day was an exhibition match between an "All Star" team of outstanding players from the festival and the "Old Star" team of Hong Kong-China old-timers. Lai Sun Cheung, Head Coach of the Hong Kong-China national team, and Tsang Wai Chung, Technical Director of the Hong Kong-China FA, displayed some brilliant passes, and the Old Stars led with two goals early in the match. The All Stars, with ample stamina and young power, gained a goal, but their efforts ended there as the experienced Old Stars captured a 3-1 victory.
The weather made a complete turn on the final day of the festival, and it was pouring rain. One match had to be cancelled and all the others had to be shortened to a 20-minute half, but the festival closed on a good note. A closing ceremony was held from 7 p.m. at the nearby Regal Riverside Hotel, where all the teams were staying. The festival not only featured the U-14 matches, but it also included the Referees Talent Acceleration Program and the AFC "C" Class Coaching License Course, in which many future FIFA referees and aspiring national team coaches-to-be attended.
After Dr. Ranganathan's speech, where he thanked the hosts, the Hong Kong-China FA, for their seamless organization and commented, "I hope the youngsters will continue to work hard on their football and on their studies. I look forward to seeing you again at the World Cup or the Olympics," dinner was served. In the beginning, the players were too shy to mingle with those other than their teammates, but as time wore on and they started to relax, they took photos with other teams and signed each other's ball. The core members of tomorrow's East Asian football teams enjoyed the company, reinforced friendships, exchanged vows to meet again, and returned home with a big smile on their faces.

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