Hong Kong football bosses ban 10 under-23 internationals for vandalising hotel rooms and being drunk in Japan after AFC Championship qualifier
- All are banned from representing the city for one year, while two players receive additional HK$6,000 fine and three are fined HK$3,000
- The incident happened on October 28 after a 4-0 loss to the hosts, with the Japan Football Association later filing a complaint with Hong Kong officials
The Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) has banned 10 under-23 players from the representative team for one year after they reportedly vandalised hotel rooms while drunk during October’s AFC U23 Championship qualifier in Japan.
Rangers player Lam Hin-ting, 22, and Tse Ka-wing received the heaviest punishment of a one-year ban from international representative football plus a fine of HK$6,000.
Five players: Max Poon Pui-hin, 21, and 20-year-olds Ng Ka-yeung 20, Yip Cheuk-man, Ryan Cheng Chun-wang and Chiu Wan-chun were banned for a year without being fined. Three 22-year-old players, Jordan Lam Lok-kan, Chu Wai-kwan and Marco Cheung Chun-hin were fined HK$3,000 on top of their bans.
The players’ behaviour came to light after the HKFA received a complaint from the Japan Football Association.
“Of course, we are disappointed by the behaviour of the young players,” Pui Kwan-kay, the HKFA chairman, said. “They not only tarnished the reputation of the HKFA but also Hong Kong football in general.
“It is important for clubs that they not only pass on football skills to their players but also focus on the disciplinary side and their conduct off the pitch. I hope the players have learned from the incident and their future in the game will not be affected.”
The incidents occurred after Hong Kong were beaten 4-0 by Japan in their final qualifying match at the J-Village Stadium in Hirono, Fukushima on October 28.
The FA previously acknowledged that players were involved in vandalising rooms and being drunk. It is also understood that two players were involved in a fight.
The body said the suspensions took effect on December 22 across all representative team age groups. It said one player had appealed his ban and the disciplinary committee would arrange a hearing for him. The players can still appear for their clubs.
“During the group games, some representative team members violated rules regarding improper conduct,” the HKFA, which conducted an investigation, said in a statement. It said the players were punished for “breaching the rules as well as seriously violating the teams’s code of conduct/ethics/behaviour”.
“The disciplinary committee said that all players concerned ignored anti-pandemic measures, violating local and competition regulations, which is considered a serious offence. Therefore, it decided to hand out severe punishments for all 10 players,” it added.
“The HKFA understands concerns from all sectors of society and hope that the players would learn from this lesson.”
Five days earlier, Hong Kong lost 4-2 to Cambodia in their opening Group K match. Japan finished top after beating Cambodia 4-0. North Korea were supposed to contest the group but pulled out of the competition.
