tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578658460757089715.post215819908373771887..comments2024-02-01T20:52:24.827+08:00Comments on CEO 的話: Hong Kong Premier League – A New Start 香港超級聯賽 — 進入新篇章Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12311816601866550472noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578658460757089715.post-44073279640987279712014-07-30T09:17:52.247+08:002014-07-30T09:17:52.247+08:00Dear Gary,
My email address is mark.sutcliffe@hkfa...Dear Gary,<br />My email address is mark.sutcliffe@hkfa.com<br />Regards MarkAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12311816601866550472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578658460757089715.post-90911286501383342082014-07-29T13:12:42.631+08:002014-07-29T13:12:42.631+08:00Perhaps we can just set the Senior Shield final da...Perhaps we can just set the Senior Shield final date before the winter transfer window to avoid all the problem? In last season case, I still think it's better to be a bit harsh on South China than to be unfair to Sun Pegasus. As we're talking about a cup final match. <br /><br />Also may I have your email? There are some more ideas about improving local football that I need to attach with some pictures. Thank you. <br /><br />Regards<br /><br />GaryAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16811003678343384010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578658460757089715.post-24002011960801657562014-07-29T10:13:21.497+08:002014-07-29T10:13:21.497+08:00Gary, really sorry I got your name wrong!
There ar...Gary, really sorry I got your name wrong!<br />There are rules regarding whether or not a player can play in a cup competition when they transfer. For example if they have played for another club in that competition they are not allowed to play. I think it would be a bit harsh on a club who legitimately transfers a player in the transfer window and they are not cup-tied for them not to be allowed to use that player.<br />I hope the termination of players contracts mid season without justification i.e. mutual consent is now a thing of the past. A players association might help but actually it will the HKFA itself that monitors the situation and enforces the FIFA regulations. We did this when we suspended Happy Valley and Tuen Mun by reminding them of their obligations. The HKFA is not run by the clubs any more. It is run by a Secretariat that reports to a Board of Directors the majority of whom are independent of the Clubs. That is one of the benefits of Project Phoenix that people forget.<br />We will ensure that there are regular media reports of the U16 tournament. It is an historic achievement to qualify and we will let people know how we get on. Our team has prepared well with a tournament in Spain, another competition in Beijing and they will soon to be going to a training camp in England with Tottenham Hotspurs (thanks to AIA for their generous support). We are investing in our young players, our future and wish them well for the AFC tournament. It will be tough against Australia, Japan and China but whatever the result, it will be a great learning experience. For me it is another example of the progress we are making. <br />Regards Mark <br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12311816601866550472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578658460757089715.post-14738585661835234222014-07-28T16:29:33.530+08:002014-07-28T16:29:33.530+08:00Dear Mark,
Actually I am Gary, not David. Haha. A...Dear Mark,<br /><br />Actually I am Gary, not David. Haha. And my point about the South China issue was that if a player is registered after a cup tournament had started, that player should not be eligible to play in the tournament. But it happened in last season's Senior Shield final. <br /><br />And perhaps under the FIFA regulations a club cannot just terminate a contract whenever they want. But it did actually happen here, at least it happened before. So I hope the setup of player association can help stopping this kind of acts. <br /><br />Also may I know will there be reporter of HKFA to cover the AFC U-16 tournament in Bangkok, as I heard local media will be more focus on the Asian Game. <br /><br />Regards,<br />GaryAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16811003678343384010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578658460757089715.post-7910495397512773772014-07-28T13:20:24.087+08:002014-07-28T13:20:24.087+08:00Dear David,
The two South China players were signe...Dear David,<br />The two South China players were signed in the transfer window. The only way that players can be signed outside of this window is if they are 'unemployed' i.e. free agents.<br />Clubs certainly cannot unilaterally terminate a players contract whenever they want. Under the FIFA regulations the minimum they can sign them for is the 'duration of the season'. Clubs that breach this regulation will be subject to sanction. The only exception is if the player is in breach of their contract e.g. has committed some very serious disciplinary action or if the contract is severed by mutual consent. <br />We will consider the other issues you raise.<br />Regards<br />Mark Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12311816601866550472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578658460757089715.post-80832313850006630602014-07-25T16:01:50.950+08:002014-07-25T16:01:50.950+08:00Great to hear the sponsorship is confirmed and goo...Great to hear the sponsorship is confirmed and good to hear that there will be more prize money on the community cup comparing to the one in 2009. As for the League Cup I've heard that even the local reporters are confused about the 3 groups format and the "6 teams fight for the remaining semi-final spot" format. I hope more detail will be announced in the future. Actually I would suggest the team who will play in the ACL-qualifier (Kitchee this time) or AFC Cup see a bye in the early stage of one of the cup competitions, because one thing that a cup competition can provide is more matches to play, but with the ACL-qualifier and minimum 6 AFC/ACL group matches Kitchee and South China would have enough matches already. I think the format of the cup competitions can be opened for debate.<br /><br /># About an intensive cup competition:<br /><br />Given that we only have 9 teams in the league and most of the teams have less than 25 games to play in a season, they will always have no matches to play for a while like any season before. It's inevitable. But if the 4 knock-out teams in the quarter-final have no matches to play "together" for a while, at least it's more fair. Last season Yuen Long had no matches to play for six weeks from Dec to Jan and they were the only team that suffered. So if "blank" is inevitable, I would suggest to turn it into opportunity to maximize the marketing effect for the cup sponsors. <br /><br /># About the Andrew Barisic and Sasa Kajkut case:<br /><br />Yes, please check their registration date of last season. According to Steven Lo's blog they were registered after the semi-final which was played on the Christmas day. As for the minimum length of a contract, as far as I know local clubs can terminate a contract whenever they want. Some clubs would just "fire" a player before the end of the contract and only compensate the player with one month salary. <br /><br /># About the Lam Hok Hei case:<br /><br />Lam Hok Hei was exploring a new market for Hong Kong players, to me I don't think it should be considered as an individual case, as it could be crucial to Hong Kong football as a whole, like Nakata opened the door of Seria A to other Japanese players before. Comparing to Italy, the living in Indonesia is much more difficult. Nakata had everything covered by his team while Lam got nothing. I was not asking the HKFA to send an assistant there to stay with him, but at least the HKFA should have worked with Rangers to monitor the situation of Lam, especially given that Rangers also found it hard to help him. "Does Lam need a translator?" "Does Lam need a lawyer to review his contract?" Lam almost became an illegal worker there at the end of his spell in Indonesia and he is our precious talent! So next time if we got another Lam Hok Hei making his way to some tough place, like Vietnam, I would suggest the HKFA to take it as your case as well. Just to ask whether he needs some help, it won't cost much I think.<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16811003678343384010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578658460757089715.post-4682733134559607582014-07-25T09:59:21.699+08:002014-07-25T09:59:21.699+08:00Dear David,
I agree with your point about the HKFA...Dear David,<br />I agree with your point about the HKFA supporting players moving abroad, it is up to the foreign club to ensure that their player 'acclimatises' to the new surroundings. We are looking at other initiatives to give our players opportunities to play abroad such as scholarships and bursaries etc<br />Regarding your comment about 'mercenaries' I will discuss this with our registration and competitions teams but as I stated in a previous comment we abide by the FIFA regulations on the status and transfer of players and we expect our clubs to do likewise.<br />Regards<br />MarkAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12311816601866550472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578658460757089715.post-24134174174920224882014-07-25T09:54:39.024+08:002014-07-25T09:54:39.024+08:00Dear Sai Lam Wong,
Thank you for your comments and...Dear Sai Lam Wong,<br />Thank you for your comments and ideas. <br />The Community Cup is a new competition and trophy sponsored by the Jockey Club, it is their way of endorsing the Premier League and will give an incentive to teams to win the league or play-offs this season because they will then get to play for some serious prize money in next season's curtain raiser. The League Cup has been played before I appreciate that but there is a new format this season where the winner gets to play in the play offs and therefore potentially a place in the AFC competition. <br />I used the word 'hopefully' because at the time of writing we had not signed the sponsorship deal. I am pleased to say that the contract has now been signed and that we will DEFINITELY have a sponsor for the Premier League. Details will be announced at a press conference in the next few weeks. This will enable us to make some meaningful changes so it is good news.<br />I will talk to our Competitions Department about the other issues yo raise but I have some observations. <br />Seeding is not a bad idea but with only 9 teams in the league, there are issues to consider. Sometimes the cup commences before the first round has been completed because of postponements etc.<br />The problem with an intensive cup competition is that the teams knocked out in the first round then have no matches for a while.<br />I may be wrong and I will need to check it but I think South China signed the players during the January transfer window which is a FIFA initiative. The minimum contract they can be on is until the end of the season so it should not be possible for players to be signed for a few games.<br />We do want to encourage our players to gain experience overseas but given the limited resources we have it would be difficult for us to invest in individual cases.<br />As ever your comments are food for thought and appreciated.<br />Regards<br />MarkAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12311816601866550472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578658460757089715.post-28207303346027479532014-07-25T04:41:46.095+08:002014-07-25T04:41:46.095+08:00Re: #5: Unfortunately the support of players abroa...Re: #5: Unfortunately the support of players abroad rest solely on the club's shoulders. It's unheard of that an FA would intervene or assist in the day-to-day transition of a player at a foreign club. Also, even if there were funds to invest in this task, it is not scaleable and determining qualification for assistance would be difficult. <br /><br />Completely agree with your point about the hiring of 'mercenaries' just for tournaments. Leagues around the world use multiple deadlines for squad lists depending on the type of competition.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14220378449978838966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2578658460757089715.post-42291455937008762292014-07-24T20:59:33.068+08:002014-07-24T20:59:33.068+08:00I don't think Community Cup and League Cup sho...I don't think Community Cup and League Cup should be counted as something new because we already had them before. And now the word "hopefully" is being used about acquiring sponsorship so it is quite disappointing. Anyway, there're a few things I would like to suggest: <br /><br />1) In Cup final, present the trophy on the pitch rather than the stand. It allows more space for the sponsor's logo at that golden moment.<br /><br />2) Linking the league and the cup competitions. Like the NBA, the team with higher ranking in the league can have more advantages in the playoff. Draw and seeding based on last season are no more needed. Let's say we finish the first found of the league, then go straight to the Senior Shield. With <br /><br />#1 vs # 8/9,<br /># 2 vs # 7,<br /># 3 vs # 6,<br /># 4 vs # 5.<br /><br />It encourages teams to fight for higher rank. <br /><br />3) Intensive Cup schedule. There will be a "Senior Shield month" or something. Matches will be played consecutively within about 3 weeks. So the sponsor can enjoy all the attention within that period of time. <br /><br />4) Player's registration deadline in the Cup competition. Last season in the Senior Shield Final, we saw South China fielded 2 players they had signed just after the semi-final, Andrew Barisic and Sasa Kajkut. I don't think it was fair to their opponent Sun Pegasus and I don't think we can find any cup competition in the world allowing team to do that. Because technically team can sign a few players only for the final and then release them after that. So I would suggest teams are required to submit their rosters for the cup before it get started. And nothing can be changed after the that.<br /><br />5) Support our oversea player. Last season, we saw Lam Hok Hei playing in the Indonesian League without enough supports. He had difficulties dealing with the language, food, etc. If HKFA had helped him with that, like sending a translator for him, he could have played and adapted better. Lam was our "trail blazer" but sadly he received almost nothing from us. <br /><br />More ideas will be followed. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16811003678343384010noreply@blogger.com