When they were considering the FA’s offer two years ago, the club’s then head coach, and current director of football, Ko Chun-kay, said promotion would require Sham Shui Po to increase their annual budget from HK$700,000-800,000 to HK$5 million.

Sham Shui Po’s current plight has been an open secret in Hong Kong football, although club officials were reluctant to divulge specific information until the season concluded.

Five days after their dramatic 3-2 FA Cup final defeat by Eastern, the club laid out its predicament on social media.

In a statement, the club said it was grateful for the “many messages of support” and would do everything it could to ensure the team’s survival.

“Here is a final appeal,” the statement read. “If the club fails to raise no less than HK$1.5 million in sponsorship funds in the remaining seven days, the club will officially withdraw from the Hong Kong Premier League next season.”

Premier League clubs received a share of the HK$24.2 million subsidy provided by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department to the Football Association of Hong Kong, China for 2023-24.

The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau also provides financial support to 18 district-based football teams in various Hong Kong leagues, through the District Football Funding Scheme. The bureau’s pot for 2023-24 was HK$16.7 million.

A number of fans urged Sham Shui Po to begin a crowdfunding campaign, while others asked Scott Leung Man-kwon, the Legislative Council member for Kowloon West, to intervene.

Leung’s presence at Saturday’s FA Cup final attracted criticism from supporters, who questioned why he had not attended previous games.

After the match, Leung wrote on social media: “I deeply felt that sports played an … inspiring role in the community. I hope more sports can be community-based, so you can cheer on the athletes who represent their team, and inject dynamic and positive energy into the community.”

One respondent to that post said: “A football team can bring the community together, but a team may withdraw due to lack of funds, what can district council members do for the team?”

Sham Shui Po endured a dreadful debut Premier League campaign, winning only two matches, both against HKU23, and finishing with a -58 goal difference.

They appeared poised for a similarly desperate 2023-24 following a series of heavy early-season losses, but the appointment of former South China boss Chan Ho-yin, in place of Lawrence Tang Kwun-yin, transformed the team’s fortunes.

They stunned champions Lee Man in the FA Cup semi-final, and recorded notable league victories over BC Rangers and Southern.

But the team managed an average home crowd of just 629, a figure improved by the 1,633 who showed up for Lee Man’s title coronation last month.

The club has meanwhile been dragged into the corruption scandals plaguing Hong Kong football.

In February, goalkeeper, To Chan-kiu, who was with Sham Shui Po between August 2022 and March 2023, was among four men charged with bribing players to fix results between 2021 and 2023.

The 12 men arrested on match-fixing and illegal betting charges last week are believed to include a player from Sham Shui Po.

Meanwhile, HKU23 have folded, meaning the Premier League could be reduced to nine teams next season, and questions remain over the top-flight futures of both Resources Capital and HKFC.

Eastern, meanwhile, have confirmed the signing of Lam Hin-ting, after the expiry of the 24-year-old midfielder’s contract with BC Rangers.

Lam was immediately added to Hong Kong’s squad for World Cup matches against Iran on Thursday and Turkmenistan next Tuesday. He replaces Sun Ming-him, who has withdrawn because of injury.