Opinion | ‘They thought we were enemies but we were best of pals’ – Derek Currie remembers fellow Hong Kong legend Chow Chee Keong
Former Seiko forward still bears the scar from a clash that many thought was the start of a feud between the two but, in fact, they remained good friends
Derek Currie still has the scar given to him by the late Chow Chee Keong. The Hong Kong football legend, who arrived in the city to much fanfare in 1970 from Scotland, was playing for former champions Seiko against Chow’s South China in a domestic match.
He bore down on Chow’s goal but the Malaysian goalkeeper flashed his studs and one of them caught Currie on the leg and the man from Glasgow went down.
Currie wasn’t happy with the challenge that forced him to go off. And as far as Hong Kong football fans were concerned, from that point onwards Currie and Chow were sworn enemies. However, according to Currie, the rivalry was genuine but there was never any animosity between the two.
“When I had my first game for the Hong Kong League XI [in 1972], Chow was in goal and we beat Hamburg SV 1-0,” said Currie, who is now based in Bangkok, Thailand. “Everybody thought we were enemies but in truth we were the best of pals. It was a great rivalry but we were really good friends.”
