The Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) regrets to announce that, with the consensus of the eight participating clubs, the BOC Life Hong Kong Premier League and all cup matches in season 2021/22 will be cancelled. After just play 4 matches only.
Hong Kong Premier League season 2021/22 start playing on 23 October 2021. But on 5 January 2022, the Hong Kong government announced a tightening of social distancing measures in order to control the COVID-19 Omicron variant outbreak. Make places such as Public recreation facilities, such as football pitches, were closed and members of the public were barred from gathering in groups of more than two people. The Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) announced on the same day that it would also postpone any scheduled matches in the successive two week period.
But after that, the measures were extended several times in the successive weeks, the government announced on 22 February that it would extend the measures until 20 April, making it near impossible to complete the season before most player contracts end on 31 May. The HKFA held an emergency meeting with the clubs on 25 February, after which it was determined that the remainder of the season would be cancelled.
“It was a very difficult decision to make. In the past two months, we have been trying our best to liaise with the Government and the clubs, hoping to come up with a feasible plan to continue the season. Unfortunately, the epidemic situation has worsened and stadiums have been temporarily closed until April 20 owing to social distancing measures. Being faced with the many uncertainties of the epidemic development, and that players need three to four weeks’ time to prepare for competitions due to the lack of training for a long time, it is indeed hard to plan the rest of the fixtures. Therefore, the eight Premier League clubs agreed to cancel the matches of this season after discussion.” Mr. Joaquin Tam, Chief Executive Officer, said,
The HKFA will continue to closely monitor the development of the epidemic in Hong Kong and communicate with relevant government departments. If circumstances permit, the next season is expected to start in July or August so that professional players would be able to compete again as soon as possible. Further details will be discussed in due course.
In addition, the HKFA is exploring the possibility of arranging overseas training for the Hong Kong Representative Team in preparation for the Asian Cup Qualifiers. Further information will be announced as soon as possible.
Credit Photo : HKFA
