Eastern were unable to score against R&F and finished their last game in a goalless draw. (PHOTO COURTESY OF  HKFA)

It was a dramatic final match day for the prolonged 2019/20 season, with Kitchee coming out as the eventual champions thanks to Eastern’s inability to score a crucial goal against R&F. Meanwhile, the HKFA has started preparations for the 2020/21 season, which could kick off as early as Oct 24. However, the planning was interrupted on Monday, Oct 12, with a bombshell announcement, when several media reported that title contenders R&F decided to withdraw from the Premier League. 

Arguably, the race could not have been any tighter, with three possible champions on the ballot for the ultimate round of the season. But it was only Eastern who had the fate in their own hands, as they could crown themselves as long as they would gain more points than Kitchee that day. The latter were up against bottom-of-the-table Happy Valley, and as expected they made no mistake to drive their three points home. 

Gavilan Manu opened the score for Kitchee in the first half, before Wellingsson de Souza bagged a hat-trick within six minutes thereafter, giving his team a one-sided 4-0 victory. This meant that Eastern had to beat R&F in their parallel encounter at Hong Kong Stadium to fulfill their treble ambitions, after already winning both FA Cup and Senior Shield a few days earlier. However, the Guangzhou side was not ready to give in that easily and offered a match at eye-level with countless goal attempts on both sides. R&F seemed adamant to spoil Eastern’s title party, fighting for every ball and defender Dudu eventually being sent off in the dying minutes of the game. In the end, Eastern were unable to get past a goalless draw, handing the championship trophy to their archrivals Kitchee. 

READ MORE: Eastern and Kitchee lift cup trophies

Meanwhile, Lee Man and Southern completed the final match day with a dead rubber game, in which the Bees thrashed the Aberdeeners 4-0. Brazilian striker Jordi Tarres scored in the first minute of the match, which also marked the last game of his career, as the former Hong Kong representative team player announced his retirement right after. Macao striker Leong Ka-hang added another hat-trick in the second half for a clear-cut win, which let Lee Man finish the season on fourth place above Southern.

Kitchee are the 2019-20 Hong Kong Premier League champions after a dramatic final matchday. (PHOTO COURTESY OF  HKFA)

This marked the end of a tumultuous season, in which the Hong Kong Premier League was eventually reduced from ten to six clubs, as Tai Po, Yuen Long, Rangers, and Pegasus refused to resume the competition due to the additional financial burden arising from the forced break, when the city had undergone a quasi-lockdown of public venues during the second and third wave of COVID-19 infections. Relegation for the season was suspended and in the end the championship was decided by just ten games for each team, as the encounter with the dropped-out participants were annulled. Besides the league title, which was the club’s tenth top-tier title as well, Kitchee also stemmed the Sapling Cup trophy, while the other two pieces of silverware – the FA Cup and the Senior Shield – went to Eastern. 

As FA Cup winners, Eastern secured a spot in the AFC Cup qualifiers, and could inherit the group stage spot if Kitchee would indeed qualify for the ACL

Given the outcome, Kitchee may start in the qualification for the 2021 Asian Champions League next year, but the club could also be given a direct group stage spot if DPRK consider withdrawing again from the competition. As FA Cup winners, Eastern secured a spot in the AFC Cup qualifiers, and could inherit the group stage spot if Kitchee would indeed qualify for the ACL. 

With the planning for the new season already underway, things took an unexpected turn on Monday, Oct 12, when several media outlets reported that R&F would end their four-year-stint in the Hong Kong Premier League and withdraw from the competition altogether. Despite big investments of up to HK$50 million, the club failed to win any trophies – suffering a particular heartbreak this season after dominating the league before the pandemic. Hence, the patience of the club owners may have finally come to an end, though an official announcement has yet to be made. Coach Yeung Ching-kwong and the players were seemingly taken by surprise, as they were still talking about training preparations for the new season after the final match on Sunday. If R&F really dissolve, the new Premier League season may just include eight clubs, as Yuen Long relegated voluntarily and Tai Po have yet to find new investors. 

Given the short notice, many key players of R&F could struggle to find a new club ahead of the new season, including the likes of Igor Sartori, Tsui Wang-kit, Jared Lum, Matt Lam, Sean Tse, Fung Hing-wa, Fong Pak-lun, Robert Affonso, Andreas Lam Zhi-gin, Giovane da Silva, and Jordan Lam, who all would easily be starters in any domestic top team. 

The HKFA is currently still negotiating with the government to implement a gradual return of spectators for local games for up to 30 percent of each stadium’s capacity. For Mong Kok Stadium this would roughly be 2000 seats, which is nearly double the average league attendance in previous years. 

Jordi Tarres announced his retirement after scoring for Lee Man in the final game of the season. (PHOTO COURTESY OF LEE MAN)

With the start of the season set to Oct 24, the clubs have agreed to begin with several Sapling Cup rounds to give more time for new foreign signings to come to the city and undergo quarantine amidst the ongoing travel restrictions. While players will still be tested for COVID-19 prior to each future match, the home quarantine for players will most likely be faded out. The HKFA has also confirmed that clubs will still be allowed to make five substitutions and can nominate a total of 23 players for each matchday squad. Meanwhile, the FA has also indicated a possible start for the lower semi-professional and amateur divisions in Hong Kong, which could return by Nov 14, 2020. The First Division could see up to eight district teams competing this year, and with Yuen Long, Tai Po, South China, Hong Kong Football Club, Citizen, Hoi King, and Metro Gallery FC, there are plenty of familiar names in the mix.