Liverpool boss Juergen Klopp hopeful HK$30m pitch can cope as rain batters Hong Kong ahead of Premier League Asia Trophy
Reds begin campaign against Crystal Palace at Hong Kong Stadium on Wednesday hoping for no repeat of 2013 quagmire
Juergen Klopp admitted the much-maligned Hong Kong Stadium pitch was a concern as his team prepare for the Premier League Asia Trophy, but the Liverpool manager was hoping it would hold up.
The last time the tournament was held in Hong Kong in 2013 there were embarrassing headlines all over the world as the pitch became a quagmire branded dangerous by the competing teams’ managers.
It has been extensively – and expensively – relaid at a cost of HK$30 million, and officials at the Hong Kong Football Association have repeatedly declared their confidence in the new surface.
It held up well for the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens in April and a friendly between Kitchee and Tottenham Hotspur played the day after a storm in May, though if there is a repeat of the constant rain that plagued the 2013 Asia Trophy, all bets could be off.
“Yeah [it’s a worry],” Klopp told the Post as heavy rain battered Hong Kong, rainstorm warnings were issued and residents told to take necessary precautions.
