Hong Kong boss Andersen backs city’s top sides joining Chinese Super League, says move will raise standards
- Norwegian thinks Kitchee, Eastern and Lee Man already have what it takes to compete against mainland counterparts
- National team coach calls on Hong Kong Premier League clubs to be more professional, says developing game will attract sponsors
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Hong Kong boss Jorn Andersen said the city’s three top clubs should join the Chinese Super League, and were already capable of taking on mainland sides.
Andersen believes doing so would improve the standard of the city’s players and the national team, which under his guidance has qualified for this year’s Asia Cup for the first time since 1968.
In an interview with the Post, the Norwegian also called on the Hong Kong Premier League to become more professional and said doing so could help attract more corporate sponsorship to a competition viewed as being of a “low standard”.
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But he acknowledged that becoming part of the Chinese domestic structure would not be easy for Hong Kong’s top sides, with the cost of travel a significant hurdle to overcome.
“I like it [the idea] because that will raise the standard of the Hong Kong national team and local players, and I am sure Kitchee, Eastern and Lee Man can compete in the mainland Chinese league now already,” he said.
“But the financial part will be very difficult. It is going to be very expensive for local clubs to travel in China because they have to fly to every away game, other than those playing in Shenzhen or Guangzhou.
“If those travelling issues can be fixed I think it will be good for Hong Kong football in the future.”
The prospect of those three teams stepping up a level is not a new idea, but it has gathered pace over the past year, with sports minister Kevin Yeung repeating the government’s desire for city clubs across all sports to consider joining mainland leagues, during a seminar at Education University in January.
And after the Asian Football Confederation’s congress in Bahrain this month, Eric Fok Kai-sham, the Hong Kong Football Association vice-chairman, said he felt the future of the game in the city lay in greater ties with the domestic pyramid in mainland China.
“I do believe that is our direction,” he said. “Everyone is looking at the China market and by having access to the China market that will help Hong Kong football develop.
“In terms of football we want to make it sustainable in how you make commercial value. By doing that you can have more revenue so you can improve clubs, increase the pay for players and improve the standard of football.”
Travel would not be the only obstacle Hong Kong’s clubs would have to overcome.
Chinese authorities have said any team wanting to join the CSL next season will need to have a women’s side, a rule it previously implemented in 2019. At the moment, only Kitchee have a women’s team.
Despite being confident the city’s teams could hold their own against opponents across the border, Andersen said he felt clubs needed to do more to improve the standard of the game.
“Hong Kong football has to be more professional. In Europe, they are doing much more to improve the standard of football, not only the players but also the clubs, the leagues, the country and even the sponsors,” the experienced coach said.
“Hong Kong has many rich corporates but they are not interested in sponsoring football because they think the standard is low at the moment. But if you can raise the standard a bit and we can get more money, we can improve a lot.”
But with a relatively small population, Andersen said it would be difficult for a high-quality league to develop in the city, as was the case with smaller European nations such as Luxembourg and Liechtenstein.
“The root problem is we just do not have enough quality players, and face the same problem of developing enough top, young players,” he said.
And Andersen, who famously guided German minnows Mainz 05 to the Bundesliga in 2009, and watches local clubs play and train said teams needed to “up their intensity” to improve the league.
However, the former North Korean national team coach also acknowledged that teams needed more international competition to improve, saying it was “not enough to play just one or two AFC Champions League or AFC Cup games” before getting eliminated”.
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Kitchee made history last year when they reached the first knockout round of the Champions League, before losing 4-0 to BG Pathum United from Thailand.
“Kitchee did well last year but even then they still got thrashed, so we can see the difference with the Thailand league is still very big,” Andersen said. “To improve the league you have to increase the quality of the players and training.”
Ultimately, Andersen said allowing young players to play consistently and develop through playing would benefit the clubs and the league.
“We should let them play earlier, give them chances to play at 18 and not only when they are already 25 or 26,” the 60-year-old said. “We are also talking not just the Sapling Cup but also the Premier League games.
“Eastern had been doing that, they had been giving young players a lot of chances to play in the league. But I understand football is a harsh sport, everybody wants to play so it is not always easy.”
