It may take a while before fans can see live football in Hong Kong again (Photo courtesy of Eastern)

Despite far-reaching social distancing regulations, the daily number of new COVID-19 infections has not yet subsided. This week the government announced further measurements, which included the closure of all sports venues and beaches. Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Football Association continued liaising with the Leisure and Cultural Services Department to look into special arrangements for Premier League games to resume behind closed doors. However, with untraceable local transmissions on the rise, a quick compromise on this matter seems rather unlikely.

Most of the local clubs have already ceded their training sessions on Dec 2, due to access restrictions for sports grounds. The longer the forced hiatus lasts, the more preparation time the teams would need as well, putting more pressure on the HKFA for a quick solution. However, football veterans such as Pegasus coach Kenneth Kwok expect that the league would only be able to return in 2021. Until then the main focus will be on maintaining the fitness level of the players, who are given training plans to follow at home.

Lee Man want to call Tseung Kwan O their "forever-home". (PHOTO COURTESY OF LEE MAN)

Nonetheless, reigning champions Kitchee seem to have made the best out of the current break and reinforced their squad with another key signing. They just announced the arrival of defensive midfielder Raúl Baena. The 31-year-old Spaniard is a graduate of Barcelona’s infamous La Masia youth academy and has had a profound career, including stints at Espanyol Barcelona and Rayo Vallecano. In 2018 he joined Australian A-League club Melbourne Victory and also appeared in the AFC Champions League. Most recently Baena was with Atromitos Athen in Greece. Carrying the number 37, he is expected to direct the midfield, a position that has been somewhat vacant ever since Hungarian international Krisztián Vadócz left the club. Meanwhile, 26-year-old Kitchee defender Brian Fok has announced his retirement from professional football, having battled with several injuries throughout his career, including his formative years at Shanghai Shenhua.

Finally, Lee Man received approval from the Sai Kung district council to represent the territory in the future, which would give the club “district team” status, similarly to Southern, Yuen Long, and Tai Po. From the very beginning, Lee Man have been committed to their home ground in Tseung Kwan O, even last season, when they had to play their home games in Sham Shui Po instead. With this new status, however, the club would be guaranteed to stay in their preferred neighborhood from now on. It is expected that Lee Man will work closely with the Sai Kung District Sports Association, to ensure that young talents in the area have a path to professional football. The Bees have currently a budget of HK$23.1 million, which puts them among the wealthiest teams in the Hong Kong Premier League, but they also have put together one of the most competitive squads. Together with Kitchee and Eastern, Lee Man are currently among the top contenders to win the 2020/21 championship or one of the sought-after cup trophies. Fans need to be patient though until they can see their Tseung Kwan O representatives again live in the stadium – hopefully in early January.