Awal is Muslim and currently it is Ramadan. He probably went to bed early as he needs to wake up before dawn the next day to eat. We drew against Turkmenistan at home so we have at least one point. I'm torn on Everton. On one hand, his vision, technique and pace are unmatched on this team and without him, we would struggle to create anything. On the other hand, he's a very selfish player in attack and doesn't track back to defend. Replacing him with Poon Pui is a downgrade overall, but at least he will pass the ball and prevent Yue Tze from being isolated in 2v1 situations at the back.
Unfortunately this sums up HK football and the HK team most of the time, there will always be some sort of give and take. I think Jorn goes with Everton everytime, and rightfully so, because there is always a small small chance each match that Everton can hit a wonder goal, or use his speed to create something. As long as that chance exists, Jorn will play him, because so few other players have that ability to create something out of nothing.
I feel that Jorn Andersen has yet to find a good strike force even though he now has Michael, Juninho, Everton and Stefan Perreira. He said he needs them, but he can't get them to combine well and we are still not getting any goals.
Live streaming: Uzbekistan vs Hong Kong If Hong Kong loses then we most probably will not progress to the next round. But then this was kind of expected.
Well after last night's result, the loss meant that Jorn's team will not be heading in to the next stage of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. But they will have the opportunity to possibly qualify for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup finals as they advanced to the third round stage which is going to be really hard to predict the chances of the national team qualifying for another edition of the AFC Asian Cup.
The Hong Kong Football Association are going to be holding talks with current national team coach Jorn Andersen over a new contract.
Austrian striker Jakob Jantscher confirmed that he will be leaving Kitchee at the end of the season. Wonder if Kitchee are also going to consider letting Kim Shin Wook go as well?
He has two years left on his contract. No chance KSW will leave unless he was paid every dollar that is owed to him.
https://hk.on.cc/hk/bkn/cnt/sport/20240403/bkn-20240403151028687-0403_00882_001.html This year's East Asian Cup qualifying round will be held in Kaohsiung, Taiwan in November or December. Hong Kong lost its bid to host it. Seven countries/regions will be divided into two groups and play for the one slot to join Japan, South Korea and China in the finals. Next year's finals will be held in South Korea in July, followed by 2028 Jan in China and 2030 Jan in Japan.
Philip Lee made an outburst amongst Yumemi Kanda in which he accused him of not wanting to play with the Koreans, but to play with his compatriots that saw his Rangers side lose to Tai Po. However, Kanda responded to Lee's remarks. "In football, it is pretty usual for players and coaching staff to exchange views. The final decision, however, is always on the coach. I have never thought of not wanting to use Korean players." In addition, Eastern who drew against Kitchee in yesterday's fixture are unsatisfied with the lack of VAR decisions that included a penalty opportunity when Sedin Ramic appeared to had handled the ball in the penalty area. Also having watched the highlights, there were a number of questionable decisions made by the referee that include Helio and Law Tsz Chun's fouls.
Interestingly enough, a 43-man preliminary squad has been named in preparation for their final two 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Iran and Turkmenistan: A couple of first call ups within the preliminary squad that consist of young players that consist of Timothy Chow, Ma Hei Wai, Ng Yu Hei and for Anthony Francis Pinto. For those who do not know, Anthony Pinto was a former Happy Valley youth player before he travelled to England where he joined the youth ranks of EFL League One club Bolton Wanderers FC. He was also I believe named in the U19 training camp back in December. There is also a recall for Sohgo Ichikawa who last represented the senior team back during the 2022 EAFF East Asia Cup finals whilst Lee Man's Dudu who missed out on the squad for the March fixtures is also getting called up. I do have questions to whether both Paulo Cesar and Fernando will be deemed fit enough in time for the preliminary squad training considering that the two had been side lined with injury.
I have not heard of Pinto before but it is exciting to see him in the squad. Playing for the U18's of a League One club - a top League One club at that - is no joke, and his fundamental base could already be good enough for the HK senior team. He plays at right back, which is Yue's spot, so he will provide good cover.
Whilst it is hard to say whether or not Pinto and the other young players (Timothy Chow, Ma Hei Wai, and Ng Yu Hei) will make the final 23 man squad, I think Andersen wants to start to work with them early to see how well they can they can adapt and where they could possibly fit within his plans. I do wonder which other local-born or of Hong Kong origin players who are currently playing their trade overseas like Pinto could potentially get drafted in at some point?
Hong Kong FA technical director Morling outlines vision, 2034 Fifa World Cup qualification remains target. “I do not want to be held to anything, because I might see one or two things I want to change now, but that could have increased to five or six in one month,” Morling said. He does, however, acknowledge the need to close the yawning gap between under-18 and senior football is pressing. “Most teams in the Hong Kong Premier League have a high average age, so players get to 18 [the end of age-group football] and have far fewer minutes than in previous years,” Morling said. “Everyone agrees it is an issue high on the priority list, how we solve it is the next question.” Morling said “three or four” alternatives for addressing the problem have been floated, “but we could have 10 in another month”. “We have to do as much as possible to give the young players every chance to be the best they can be,” he said, adding he was already addressing clubs’ concerns over limited training facilities." “We will recruit more staff over the next few months, and the fact we are starting to expand is a positive thing. They want to see the 2034 project, and the target for the women to qualify for the 2029 AFC Asian Cup finals [also listed in Vision 2025], come to fruition. My first impressions of the board are very positive, there is a real enthusiasm to do well. “If all staff and departments are in a better place in 12 months, that would be a good start.”