Eastern's Everton Camargo was awarded both Player of the Season and Most Favourite Player trophies. (PHOTO COURTESY OF HKFA)

Following a short break of just two weeks, the 2020/21 Hong Kong Premier League season will start on Oct 24. After the sudden withdrawal of Guangzhou based team R&F, only eight clubs will compete in the coming year, including champions Kitchee, FA Cup and Senior Shield Winners Eastern, Lee Man, Southern District, Happy Valley, Pegasus, Rangers and Resources Capital. On Oct 22, the Hong Kong Football Association announced the new motto, “Light Up Our Era”, and also revealed the awards for the previous season. Eastern’s Everton Camargo received both the Player of the Year and Most Favourite Player trophies, while R&F’s Igor Sartori and Serge Deble were recognized as joint top scorers, with six goals each. Meanwhile, Happy Valley’s Lai Pui-kei and Chung Wai-ho were awarded Goal of the Season and Save of the Season respectively.

Given the short notice, some clubs have not finalized all their preparations, as some have been facing difficulties to bring in foreign players due to travel restrictions and quarantine guidelines. As a compromise, the teams have agreed to start the new season with several weeks of Sapling Cup matches, before the actual Premier League will kick off in mid-November. The Sapling Cup is mainly focused on promoting local youth talents, requiring teams to field a minimum number of U22 players, and as such the impact of foreign players may not be as important. While it has become a sought-after trophy, it still pales in comparison to the other cup tournaments in Hong Kong.

For the Sapling Cup, the teams have been divided into two groups of four teams each, with a double round-robin system determining the eventual semi-finalists. Group A includes Rangers, Pegasus, Kitchee and Lee Man, while Group B features Eastern, Happy Valley, Southern, and Resources Capital. The HKFA has been in negotiations with the government to gradually open the venues for spectators, but it seems that the first few weeks will still be played behind closed doors.

R&F's Igor Sartori was awarded Top Scorer of the previous season together with teammate Serge Deble. (PHOTO COURTESY OF HKFA)

So far, one club has been particularly active during the short season break. Businessman Steven Lo has announced his new plans for Pegasus, who were originally based in the New Territories, with Tin Shui Wai as their home base. Starting from this season, they will again be known as TSW Pegasus and play their games at Yuen Long Stadium. The club also aims to sign a former Brazilian national team player, who most recently earned his spurs in Asia. In addition, they have hired several established Hong Kong Premier League players, such as Sun Minki, Wu Chun-ming, and Lau Hok-ming. Further details are expected to follow in the coming weeks. For now, Pegasus will be without their former coach Kenneth Kwok, who will focus on finishing his AFC coaching license.

Meanwhile, some players of R&F have asked the HKFA for help to resolve their dispute over salaries with the freshly dissolved club. Given the short notice, many will struggle to find a new team before the start of the new season and therefore demand a better severance package. Strikers Igor Sartori and Serge Deble currently undergo quarantine in Shenzhen and may soon appear in China League One, where several clubs are looking to strengthen their squads in light of a looming relegation scramble.

Last but not least, Eastern have announced the signing of former Kitchee assistant coach Roberto “Chino” Losada. The former Spanish professional has previously stayed for 10 years with the Bluewaves. However, Eastern also faced some bad news, as newly signed winger Fernando suffered an injury to his Achilles tendon and is expected to miss several months of the new season.

While the start of the Premier League is still a few weeks off, fans can already get a glimpse of their teams when they compete in the Sapling Cup this weekend.

SOUTHERN vs RESOURCES CAPITAL, Sapling Cup Group B, Mong Kok Stadium, Oct 24, 3 pm

The debut for Resources Capital in the top flight will be against the well established Aberdeeners, who had a bit of a rocky finish last season. The newcomers have not significantly invested into the new team and will rely on many of the players who earned the promotion last year. Among them is 43-year-old goalkeeper Ho Kwok-chuen, who previously announced his retirement from Eastern.

EASTERN vs HAPPY VALLEY, Sapling Cup Group B, Siu Sai Wan Sports Ground, Oct 24, 5:30 pm

On Saturday afternoon, Eastern will take on Happy Valley at Siu Sai Wan Sports Ground. The Greens just signed former Manchester United youth midfielder Charlie Scott. The 23-year-old is looking for a new start in Hong Kong after some hard years in England’s lower leagues, and it will be interesting to see how he can help Happy Valley this year to avoid relegation once again.

Happy Valley＊s Lai Pui-kei and Chung Wai-ho were awarded Goal of the Season and Save of the Season respectively. (PHOTO COURTESY OF HKFA)

PEGASUS vs LEE MAN, Sapling Cup Group A, Sham Shui Po Sports Ground, Oct 25, 3 pm

The Flying Horsemen will take on Lee Man on Sunday, and both teams will be hoping to get a proper start into the new season. Pegasus may soon announce their foreign signings, for now, they have revealed that Yuen Long’s 43-year-old centre back Fabio Lopes will be part of the team. He will also be involved as an assistant coach.

KITCHEE vs RANGERS, Sapling Cup Group A, Yuen Long Stadium, Oct 25, 5:30 pm

The reigning champions are starting into the new season on Sunday afternoon, and it will be a special occasion for one Rangers player in particular. Ex-Kitchee midfielder Lam Ka-wai has re-joined the club where he started his early career and where he is expected to guide the younger talents this season to fulfil their potential.

EASTERN vs RESOURCES CAPITAL, Sapling Cup Group B, Mong Kok Stadium, Oct 28, 8 pm

Eastern and Resources Capital will play their second Sapling Cup match already on Wednesday evening, however, as all the games, the encounter will still remain behind closed doors. The HKFA will reconsider the policy in the coming weeks.