Kitchee boss Ken Ng demands answers over Hong Kong’s AFC Champions League saga
Eastern are now set to feature in the group stage of the 2017 top-level continental club competition following a Hong Kong Football Association ruling this week
Disgruntled Kitchee boss Ken Ng Kin has asked the Hong Kong Football Association to set up an official “Arbitration Tribunal” to find out if anybody has to take the responsibility for the ongoing AFC Champions League saga.
Kitchee have accused Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) chief executive Mark Sutcliffe of committing an “administrative blunder” in allowing Eastern to become the first side from Hong Kong to compete in the top-level continental club competition in 2017 even after the Premier League champions initially withdrew from the tournament in July only to be reinstated this week. Ng will now suspend his role as a special adviser to the HKFA board to avoid a conflict of interest in the tribunal after informing association chairman Leung Hung-tak of his intention under Article 36 of the governing bodies code.
“What we should do now is to find out what has happened and what the problem is, and who should take the responsibility of this incident that has deeply hurt Hong Kong soccer and give the justice back to the clubs that have been affected,” said Ng.
“Also, we have to make sure similar incidents would not happen again in future.”
League runner-up Kitchee along with end-of-season play-off cup second place finisher Southern were initially nominated to represent Hong Kong in the AFC Champions League next year after Eastern opted out due to financial issues.