Hong Kong men’s football team rewarded HK$850,000 for best-ever finish at Asiad

Hong Kong’s football team as well as coaches and staffers will be rewarded HK$850,000 for their outstanding achievement of reaching the semifinal of the men’s football event at the Asian Games in Hangzhou. 

The announcement was made on Tuesday afternoon as the city’s Football Association held a banquet in Kowloon Bay to welcome footballers who returned on Sunday. 

Although Hong Kong lost 4-0 to Uzbekistan in the bronze medal match on Saturday, finishing fourth still marks the football team’s best run at the Games.  

Today’s banquet was attended by head coach Jorn Andersen and most of the footballers. 

Anderson hopes the achievement would bring the team positive energy to better prepare for the next two FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers. Hong Kong will face Bhutan at home this Thursday night (Oct 12) in the first leg. 

“I hope more fans will come into the stadium and show their support. The next two games against Bhutan are essential and the team need fans’ support very much,” Anderson said. 

Pui Kwan-kay, president of the HKFA, said the initiative of raising the HK$850,000 prize was led by chairman Eric Fok Kai-shan and joined by many of the board directors after the team beat Iran 1-0 to reach the semifinal. 

The initiative referred to the criteria of Hong Kong Jockey Club’s athlete incentive awards scheme for the Games this year, under which a team will be rewarded HK$1 million and HK$500,000 for winning a silver and bronze medal respectively. 

“The Hong Kong team historically reached the semifinal of the Asian Games. It’s really one in a thousand and the team deserve more than just a bronze medal reward.” Pui also praised footballers for giving their all and their efforts. 

“They fought very hard in the quarterfinal and in the semifinal. They didn’t give up all the way through,” he said. “The goal that defeated Iran was well-organized as we beat them in terms of techniques but not because of luck.” 

Pui hopes this achievement would appeal to the government to allocate more resources to the city’s football sector. 

Capser Tsui Ying-wai, now the vice president of the HKFA, said the Games this year brought back the atmosphere of the 2009 East Asian Games when everyone fixed their eyes on the men’s football team to witness Hong Kong defeated Japan to win the gold medal. 

Tsui said he will meet with Sports Commissioner Sam Wong Tak-sum very soon to fight for the government’s further support in the city’s football development.