Hong Kong Sevens next after football match sees beer served, anthem booed, activists clapped, queues – but no distancing
- Beer was on sale at Hong Kong Stadium during city’s 0-0 draw with Myanmar, but no food, with fans massing in stands
- There was a minute of applause after 47 minutes, believed to be in support of 47 pro-democracy politicians and activists in custody
But Saturday’s game brought the welcome return of spectators to Hong Kong Stadium and served as a test of things to come, especially with the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens just six weeks away.
The Post team were there to assess how it went.
Boos and applause
The match was the first in the city for its football team since the passing of the 2020 National Anthem Ordinance, which criminalised disrespect towards the anthem, and the first with home crowds since November 2019, before anyone had heard of Covid-19.
But if the world had changed considerably since Hong Kong fans last cheered their team, jeering of March of the Volunteers was one thing that remained – even if it was at a much lower level, and closer to audible groans, rather than the deafening drowning out of the Chinese anthem at some matches before the pandemic.
There was a minute of applause after 47 minutes, seen before at club matches and widely believed to be in support of the 47 pro-democracy politicians and activists who have been in custody in Hong Kong for more than 18 months.
Further applause arrived after 70 minutes, echoing scenes in English football when fans have paid tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth.
