Kitchee boss Ng wants independent body controlling Hong Kong Premier League, rejects clubs power grab idea
- Several prominent figures in the game are concerned over Football Association’s inability to promote sport locally
- Kitchee boss is a fan of the much-maligned Sapling Cup as it offers only bridge from under-18s to first-team football
Kitchee boss Ken Ng has thrown his weight behind the idea of an independent body to govern the Hong Kong Premier League, but does not want to see a power grab by clubs.
Several influential people within the game in the city have said the Football Association lacked the ability to promote the sport locally, and Lee Man’s president, Norman Lee Man-yan, wants clubs to take control of the league.
Frankie Yau, Eastern’s vice-chairman, said the level of football in Hong Kong was stagnant, and suggested a “conflicted” FA had overstretched itself in trying to satisfy multiple stakeholders.
Yau called for a “revolution” to ensure the professional game was not secondary to attempts to grow participation numbers in the sport.
Ng said it was “not appropriate” for him to assess the performance of the FA, whose chairman, Eric Fok Kai-shan, was elected unopposed last June, because “it is too complicated to make a passing comment”.
The Kitchee president said he would like to see a set-up similar to the J League in Japan, where the board features club owners and experts from fields such as marketing, finance and law.
“I disagree with the clubs taking control of the league,” Ng told the Post. “I think … [the objective should be] more to establish an independent body to lead the clubs, in terms of finance, marketing and competition.
“The leagues in Japan and England are good examples of what I think should, or could, happen, but it is not me who dictates what will happen.
“I don’t want to impose what I think on the league – it belongs to everybody.”
When the Hong Kong Premier League committee, founded in 2022 and comprising member clubs, last met in March, the primary focus was a tour of Kai Tak Sports Park.
Another gathering is planned soon, but Ng said he was “not in a position to say” whether any changes to the city’s top division were in the offing.
The withdrawal of HKU23 has been mooted, while Sham Shui Po do not expect to know until the conclusion of this season if they will have the financial means to continue as a top-flight club.
Jorn Andersen, the Hong Kong head coach, has championed a series of changes he believes necessary to improve the standard of the game in the city. These include having foreign players in match-day squads, starting 11s featuring a minimum of two local under-22 players, and a midseason split, designed to increase the number of matches between leading clubs.
“For any changes, we have to go to the FA and get their approval,” Ng said. “I’m sure, imminently, there may be some discussions, or ideas, but nothing should be announced by [clubs].”
Expanding on his reasons for “reserving comment” over the FA’s governance, Ng said while had a lot to say, it was “not black or white”.
“The FA is trying to do some positive things, and I am happy with some of those,” he said. “I am not happy with other things that are not happening. It is too complicated to say either they’re doing a good job, or they’re not.”
Kitchee face BC Rangers in the final of the Sapling Cup next Wednesday. The competition dictates that, at any one time, teams must have at least three players aged under-22, and no more than four foreigners, on the field.
The FA’s new technical director, John Morling, told the Post that finding a solution to the existing gap between under-18 and senior football was “high on my priority list”.
Despite being considered the least of the three domestic cup competitions, Ng said the Sapling Cup was very important for the game in the city because it was the only one providing a bridge from the under-18s to senior football.
“We hope there are ways to make it more influential,” Ng said. “Everybody is talking about how we can produce more young, talented players, and bring them to the first team.
“Many people are making suggestions, but none of the discussions has matured to a point where we can talk in public, or make any announcement.”
