Hong Kong’s under-23 squad await call to test their skills against region’s best at East Asian Football Championship
- East Asian Football Federation vice-president Eric Fok says Hong Kong may join Japan, South Korea and China at this year’s tournament
- Hong Kong’s under-23 squad will also be eligible for September’s Asian Games players after meeting the selection criteria
Hong Kong could be represented by an under-23 side at this year’s East Asian Football Championship after being granted permission to play in the tournament alongside regional giants Japan, South Korea and China.
Football Association chairman Pui Kwan-kay said he was “delighted” at the prospect of playing in the flagship competition, which has become a biennial event since 2013.
“Under normal circumstances we have to go through a preliminary round before qualifying to the final four, but because of Covid-19 we have been accepted straight into the tournament,” he said.
“This is a good opportunity for our representative team to rub shoulders against the top three sides in East Asia, but since we only received the news very recently, we don’t have too many details of the event.
“Of course we are happy to take our Under-23 side to the tournament because they will be preparing for September’s Asian Games in Hangzhou and this will be a good warm-up event, but we also need to stay competitive against the three quality opponents and this cannot be achieved without sending our senior squad.
“We have to consider all these factors before making a final decision.”
Last week, Eric Fok Kai-shan, vice-chairman of the Football Association, was elected vice-president of the East Asian Football Federation until 2026. Fok then announced Hong Kong would play in the EAFF Championship this summer with the three other nations.
