Hong Kong talent hailed after coach’s positive job audition – but why was VAR not used?
- Debutants impress interim boss Wolfgang Luisser in Fifa World Cup qualifier against Iran, while reason for VAR controversy is revealed
Hong Kong is stepping up the hunt for young football talent, the acting coach of the city’s representative team said after debutants Timmy Ma Hei-wai and Anthony Pinto scored against Iran on Thursday night.
Twenty-year-old winger Ma made a dream start in international football, netting after 15 minutes to draw Hong Kong level. Pinto, 18, later scored within 120 seconds of his 57th-minute introduction, by which time his side were up against it.
Mehdi Taremi, who had scored the opener from the spot, was gifted a second penalty when Yapp Hung-fai was harshly judged to have fouled him. Hong Kong’s players and coaches voiced their disbelief, but the VAR system is not used in this round of Asia’s World Cup qualifiers, to ensure a level playing field across the competition, and referee Qasim Matar al-Hatmi’s decision was final.
“The second one was not a penalty, I was told during the game, then saw [a replay] at half-time,” Luisser said. Chris Jenkins, the Hong Kong analyst, had access to instant replays, and could be seen telling Luisser and his staff that al-Hatmi had made the wrong call.
