Fairy-tale set to end as Hong Kong Premier League champions Wofoo Tai Po face big budget cuts
- Club spent HK$18 million to win their maiden top-tier championship but success unlikely to continue next season
- Coach of the Year Lee Chi-kin set to leave after three seasons, with some players following in the footsteps of the coach
Wofoo Tai Po’s fairy-tale story is likely to end after swingeing cuts to the district club’s budget were announced ahead of the coming season.
The district club spent HK$18 million to fund their maiden top-tier trophy last season following a 2-1 victory over fellow championship chasers R&F with one round to play. Tai Po also became the first district team to win the championship after Yuen Long did it in 1963.
However, it is believed one of their major financiers will not continue his support leaving Tai Po with a smaller budget to deal with renewed challenges in the coming season and facing great difficulty in defending their title.
“We are facing some financial constraints but will definitely continue our presence in the Premier League,” said club secretary Chan Ping. “Of course, our budget will be affected because of the change and if we cannot solicit sufficient resources, which we are working hard to do at the moment, we will need to revisit our players’ list and may form a young but energetic side for next season. If that happens, it will be very difficult for us to defend the title.”
District clubs receive government support of HK$1.5 million a season plus a subsidy from their local council. They have to raise the rest of their budget through commercial sponsorship or individual monetary support.
“We don’t know how much we can raise but it will be very difficult to secure what we have had for this season,” Chan said. “But some of the players are still under contract for next season and we have to take care of them. If we fail, we may have to let them go to release our burden.”
