Hong Kong forward Awal slept through World Cup recall, says Asian Cup finals axe left him ‘mentally, not OK’
- Mahama Awal has seven Hong Kong caps following a debut in March 2023, 32-year-old relinquished Cameroonian nationality to acquire passport
- Southern attacker missed opportunity to feature in March qualifier, after sleeping through calls to summon him for Uzbekistan trip
Mahama Awal said he was “mentally, not OK”, after being dropped from Hong Kong’s squad for the AFC Asian Cup finals in January.
The forward, who plays for Southern, started a World Cup qualifier in Iran back in November, and was included in Jorn Andersen’s preliminary party for the Qatar tournament.
Awal made his Hong Kong debut in March 2023, barely a fortnight after dashing to Beijing to relinquish his Cameroonian nationality and obtain a passport.
The 32-year-old, who slept through a late-night call to summon him for a recent World Cup game in Uzbekistan, cited the Asian Cup as a primary target when disclosing his dream of representing Hong Kong.
Awal’s ambitions were shattered, however, when Andersen told him he would play no part in Hong Kong’s first major tournament since 1968.
“As a professional, mentally, I was not OK,” Awal said. “I felt so down. When I went onto the pitch [for Southern], I forgot about everything, but off the pitch, it would all come back.
“It was not easy to recover, but, day by day, with my teammates supporting me, it got better. It is life, and I moved on. I always respect the coach’s choice … I was supporting the team all the way.”
Awal said he understood why Andersen left him out, after the head coach outlined his reasons face to face.
Soon after announcing his squad, Andersen told the Post: “I told him why… but I do not want to tell the press.
“[What he is doing] is still not enough, we have better players in this position. I told him what I feel and what we see, and what we saw from him over the past two months...we need players who are fit and can compete in this level of football.”
Awal has steadily inched back into the Hong Kong reckoning. He played, and scored, in the second leg of the Guangdong-Hong Kong Cup in February, days after being involved in the controversial friendly with Inter Miami.
After Hong Kong’s home defeat by Uzbekistan in March, Andersen wanted attacking reinforcements for the return in Tashkent.
With the team flying from Hong Kong early the following morning, a late-night call was put in to Awal. But he was already asleep, with his phone charging in a different room.
“I woke up to a lot of messages and missed calls, and I felt so bad,” Awal said. “Every player in Hong Kong wants to play for the representative team, it is an honour to wear the shirt. I was so disappointed.”
Awal has been included on Andersen’s pre-list for World Cup qualifiers against Iran and Turkmenistan in June, with the final squad set to be announced later this month.
He said he did not know the Norwegian had been watching Southern’s stalemate with Tai Po on Saturday, and trying to impress on a wretched playing surface, where “it was impossible to play tactical or technical football” was a tall order.
“I am happy the coach is always watching the games.” Awal said. “I haven’t been in the squad for a while, but my mind is always there. I always work hard to try to catch a chance to come back.”
Awal, who moved to Hong Kong to join South China from China League One club Guangdong Sunray Cave in January 2015, signed for Southern two years ago.
His contract expires on May 31, but he “would not think twice” about accepting an offer to stay. Either way, he would like to remain in Hong Kong, given his wife is from the city, and the couple have a young daughter.
“We are not talking yet, but my priority is to stay,” Awal said. “If they do not want me, I will look forward and see what happens.”
