Lee Man plan to focus on the league after withdrawing from the Sapling Cup. (PHOTO COURTESY OF HKFA)

Following a tumultuous week over gender equality in local football, the Hong Kong Football Association found itself in the midst of another row. Earlier in the year, the FA temporarily suspended Happy Valley and Pegasus due to unpaid insurance premiums, which also led to the cancellation of the Sapling Cup semifinal between Happy Valley and Lee Man in late February. As the Greens have supposedly broken the rules of the competition, Lee Man expected that the game would be forfeited. However, the Appeals Committee threw out the decision and reinstated Happy Valley, while Lee Man protested and refused to agree on a new arrangement for the semifinal. Eventually, the club announced the withdrawal from the competition, making way for Happy Valley to proceed to the final on Apr 7, where they will face Eastern at Mong Kok Stadium. The move was not only an expression of discontent, but also devalued the trophy of the Sapling Cup, which was meant to support younger players in the league.

Besides this controversy, Lee Man coach Chan Hiu-ming has also been displeased with some refereeing decisions lately and demanded the implementation of a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system in the near future. Expectedly, the HKFA dismissed this suggestion, which would be a costly affair for a league that already struggles with financial sustainability. Lee Man may also face a penalty for their withdrawal from the Sapling Cup, although FA chairman Pui Kwan-kay suggested that the consequences should be as lenient as possible given the circumstances of the whole affair.

At least there have also been some positive news. The match between Resources Capital and Kitchee at Tsing Yi Sports Ground was already the third sell-out of the season, but this bar will soon be harder to reach. With the 4th wave of COVID-19 infections finally under control, the capacity of stadiums will be increased from 50% to 75% starting from this Easter weekend. All clubs will be in action on Saturday, Sunday, as well as Easter Monday, with the Sapling Cup final scheduled for next Wednesday.

Resources Capital were unable to stop Kitchee last weekend. (PHOTO COURTESY OF HKFA)

RESOURCES CAPITAL vs EASTERN, Premier League, Tsing Yi Sports Ground, Apr 3, 3 pm

On Saturday afternoon, newcomers Resources Capital will lock horns with title contenders Eastern. Following a short run of respectable results, that catapulted RCFC from bottom to sixth in the table, they suffered an expected loss last weekend against Kitchee. The prospects to challenge Eastern may not look significantly better. The Blues are finally back on track, after beating Rangers 3-1, with goals by Diego Eli, Lucas Silva, and Sandro. Eastern definitely need these three points to catch up with Kitchee, who are currently four points ahead of their rivals and in pole position for the championship.

LEE MAN vs KITCHEE, Premier League, Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground, Apr 3, 5:30 pm

The importance of this match for Lee Man cannot be underplayed. In fact, if the Bees manage to cause an upset, they would be right back in the title mix, as they would close the gap to Kitchee to just four points, while still having two matches in hand, which could move them theoretically to the very top of the league. Similarly, a loss would be a serious blow to Lee Man’s title ambitions, with the championship being the only piece of silverware left after the club withdrew from the Sapling Cup. Meanwhile, Kitchee look more and more like the team to beat this season, with 39-year-old Dejan Damjanovic proving worth his money. Coach Alex Chu also bolstered the attack a bit more by re-signing Alex Akande, who spent the last few years in China’s football leagues but failed to establish himself as a regular starter, most recently with Dalian Professional FC.

HAPPY VALLEY vs RANGERS, Premier League, Sham Shui Po Sports Ground, Apr 4, 3 pm

Finally, there seems to be some hope for Happy Valley, who suddenly found themselves behind underdogs Resources Capital. Last weekend, they got away with a 1-1 draw against Southern, which kept the Aberdeeners behind them, at least for now. It was also the first match back for Robert Odu, who was injured for several weeks. Indeed, the Nigerian was dearly missed, which he underlined by finding the back of the net after just six minutes into the game. Southern defender Kota Kawase scored the equalizer, forcing both sides to share points in what almost looked like an early relegation battle.

Happy Valley's Robert Odu scored for Happy Valley in his first match back after injury. (PHOTO COURTESY OF HKFA)

SOUTHERN vs PEGASUS, Premier League, Aberdeen Sports Ground, Apr 5, 3 pm

Southern will hope that the recent tie with Happy Valley creates some momentum to turn things around, but they would need to step up their game for high-flying Pegasus, who were still proving to be a worthy opponent for Lee Man last weekend despite losing 1-2 in front of 1500 fans at Yuen Long Stadium. The Horsemen are currently fourth in the table and should be on track to qualify for the championship play-off later this season, when the league will be split in an upper and lower half to decide the final ranking.

HAPPY VALLEY vs EASTERN, Sapling Cup Final, Mong Kok Stadium, Apr 7, 8 pm

Finally, it is time for the first honour of this season. Both Senior Shield and FA Cup have been cancelled altogether, leaving the Sapling Cup as the only other piece of silverware besides the championship. Neither Eastern nor Happy Valley have ever won this competition, or even been in the final before, although it should be pointed out that Blues coach Lee Chi-kin has lifted the trophy before with Tai Po in 2016/17 and also put Pegasus on path to victory one year earlier, although he had already left the club before the actual final. On paper, Eastern should have a massive advantage over Happy Valley, but cup finals often defy the odds. Notwithstanding Lee Man’s decision to withdraw from the competition, it is still a trophy that will go down in the annals of the respective clubs.