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CHAN KINWA

Hong Kong head coach Kim Pan-gon said he hoped for a new contract this month, but insisted that upcoming World Cup qualifiers were top of his priorities.
Kim's three-year deal expires at the end of the year.
"I have to know in June according to the contract," said Kim, who took his players to Kuala Lumpur yesterday for a week-long training camp ahead of the qualifiers against Maldives and Bhutan.
"I am always committed to developing Hong Kong soccer, but if the Hong Kong Football Association wants to get a replacement for my job, they need to find him early. I also need to plan for my own future.
"But this is not my biggest concern at the moment and I will not request the HKFA for discussion because my focus is on the two World Cup matches."
Hong Kong play both sides at Mong Kok Stadium in the next two weeks before resuming the campaign against China and Qatar in September.
Two home wins against the minnows will be pivotal to Hong Kong's chances of reaching the next round, prompting the HKFA to secure funding for the training camp; neither Kim nor captain Chan Wai-ho could remember the last time the team had such preparation.
This is not my biggest concern at the moment and I will not request the HKFA for discussion because my focus is on the two World Cup matches
Kim Pan-gon
"It must be a long time ago," said Kim, who started his playing career in Hong Kong 15 years ago. "It just proves they are treating the qualifiers very serious."
Chan, who first represented Hong Kong in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers said, "This is good preparation and although most of us are mentally exhausted after a long season, it will be good to spend time with the fellow players together so that we can be more focused when the qualifiers get underway next week."
The association has also hired a specialist fitness coach from Japan, Seigo Ikeda, for the duration of the qualifiers.
Hong Kong will be without top scorer Chan Siu-ki for the two qualifiers after the South China striker injured knee ligaments in May, and Kim will try new combinations up front in Malaysia.


World Cup qualifiers in the frame for Kim Pan-gon

Hong Kong coach Kim Pan-gon puts his charges through their paces. Photo: Xinhua

The contract for Hong Kong coach Kim Pan-gon expires at the end of this year. Photo: May Tse 

Sport

Hong Kong

Hong Kong national coach is only concentrating on the task at hand, rather than his future


Hong Kong head coach Kim Pan-gon said he hoped for a new contract this month, but insisted that upcoming World Cup qualifiers were top of his priorities.
