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Chan Kin-wa

The Hong Kong Football Association has pulled the plug on its Lunar New Year Cup for a fourth straight year, but said international football will return next summer.
With the Lunar New Year due in just over a month, there is still no progress on the tournament, once hailed as the most important event on the local sports agenda.
“We may have to put the tournament on hold for another year,” association chairman Pui Kwan-kay said. “This is still not the appropriate time for bringing in overseas teams.
With the Qatar World Cup having just completed, Pui said bigger clubs will now focus on their domestic leagues, with less willingness to travel.
Lunar New Year Cup: Shandong Luneng book place in final after win over Auckland City
“If we bring in teams with no big names, it will be less attractive to the fans especially after they have watched some top class football in the World Cup,” he said.
“After all, Hong Kong has been under some stringent quarantine measures for a long time and these measures were only relaxed recently.
“It gives us more uncertainties of putting together an international tournament as it takes time to deal with visiting teams who are in fear of all these quarantine requirements.”
The football chief, however, remained upbeat that there would be international football in Hong Kong next summer.
“The pandemic situation should be under better control by that time. Both the association and the government are eager to see things back to normal and organising an international football tournament will be one of the best ways to demonstrate the viability of the city again.”
Pui said with no international tournaments in the works, the association may use the Senior Shield final as a draw, but nothing was concrete.
The semi-finals of the first cup tie of the season are scheduled for Christmas and Boxing Day featuring all three major powerhouses – Kitchee, Lee Man and Eastern, along with BC Rangers.
The final should give the fans something to cheer about during the festival days when no overseas tournaments are available.
Hong Kong Lunar New Year Cup cancelled over coronavirus fears
The last time an international tournament was featured in the Lunar New Year Cup came in 2019 when three overseas teams – Sagan Tosu of Japan, Shandong Luneng of China and Auckland City of New Zealand and a local League XI were involved.
Luneng and the Japanese side reached the final and the mainland club won 3-1 with former Spanish international star Fernando Torres scoring for Sagan.
The 2020 tournament involved only domestic teams in one match day with the Hong Kong representative team playing against a League XI while two women’s teams played against each other as a prelude.
No sooner had the association announced details of the event three days before the tournament, the government called it off that same evening over Covid-19 concerns.
With the pandemic continuing to hang over the city for the past three years, there was no Lunar New Year Cup from 2021 onwards.


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The Football Association of Hong Kong, China

Hong Kong Football Association pulls plug on Lunar New Year Cup for fourth year

Spanish striker Fernando Torres (centre) of Sagan Tosu from Japan prepares for the 2019 Lunar New Year Cup final against Shandong Luneng. Photo: Dickson Lee

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Shandong Luneng Taishan players celebrate winning last year’s Lunar New Year Cup at Hong Kong Stadium. Photo: Dickson Lee

Newly elected HKFA chairman Pui Kwan-kay meets the media. 04JUL19

HKFA chairman Pui Kwan-kay speaks to the media after a special meeting

Lunar New Year Cup: impressive Hong Kong hang on to claim third place with win over Auckland City

Hong Kong’s CNY select team held on to beat Auckland City and claim third sport in the Lunar New Year Cup at Hong Kong Stadium. Photos: Dickson Lee

(Left to right): Dylan Manickum from the Auckland City FC; Paixao De Souza from the Hong Kong CNY Team; and Captain Angel Berlanga from the Auckland City FC, in action during the Lunar New Year Cup at the Hong Kong Stadium in Causeway Bay. 07FEB19 SCMP / Dickson Lee

Fernando Augusto(front) from the Hong Kong CNY Team; and Mario Bilen(back) from the Auckland City FC, in action during the Lunar New Year Cup at the Hong Kong Stadium in Causeway Bay. 07FEB19 SCMP / Dickson Lee

Hong Kong Lunar New Year Cup.

Lunar New Year Cup: a history of stellar sides, superstars, sporting gestures and a royal wedding

Peter Schmeichel (right) at the 1994 Carlsberg Cup draw with one of the chief organisers Derek Currie. Photo: Derek Currie

Currie (middle) presents the winners' cheque to Lars Olsen of Brondby at the 1987 Lunar New Year Cup

Derek Currie (left), Chung Chor-wai (second from left) and other members of the Hong Kong soccer team at a railway station before leaving for China to play a warm-up game for the Asian Cup. 17APR79

Seiko soccer team striker Derek Currie(left) holding up the President-Chairman's Cup while taking a victory parade with his companions in the Hong Kong Stadium. Seiko beat USD 2-0. 01OCT78

TONY CRUZ DRAWS FOR CARLSBERG FOOTBALL CUP SHOWING SWEDEN VS HONG KONG TO DEREK CURRIE AT RENAISSANCE HOTEL.

Fernando Torres is our money-maker: Lunar New Year Cup organisers bank on Spanish star

Fernando Torres will return to Hong Kong to compete in the Lunar New Year Cup with his J.League side Sagan Tosu. Photo: Sam Tsang

Liverpool footballer Fernando Torres in action against Portsmouth in Hong Kong, 27 July 2007. Portsmouth won 4-3 after a penalty shoot out to win the Barclays Asia Trophy Final. AFP PHOTO/MIKE CLARKE

Raul Gonzalez Blanco of New York Cosmos, attends the training session of the soccer team for the Chinese New Year Cup. 17FEB15

Sport

Football


Difficulty of getting quality overseas teams still a concern for staging international tournaments, says HKFA chief
No international tournaments are currently in the works, but association says international football will return next summer



Hong Kong Football Association pulls the plug on its Lunar New Year Cup for a fourth year, but says international football will return next summer.


Lunar New Year Cup

Hong Kong Football Association pulls plug on Lunar New Year Cup for fourth year

Difficulty of getting quality overseas teams still a concern for staging international tournaments, says HKFA chief No international tournaments are currently in the works, but association says international football will return next summer

Difficulty of getting quality overseas teams still a concern for staging international tournaments, says HKFA chief

No international tournaments are currently in the works, but association says international football will return next summer