Latest news with #HongKongFootballFestival
South China Morning Post
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong Football Festival: Arsenal training session draws mainland, Macau fans
Arsenal fans descended on Kai Tak Stadium on Wednesday for a first glimpse of their idols in the flesh at the Hong Kong Football Festival. The Gunners, who last played in Hong Kong 13 years ago, held a public training session at the 50,000-capacity Kowloon venue. Cheung Pak-ling, an Arsenal fanatic from the New Territories, said he had 'been waiting for this day for a very long time'. 'I've never seen them live – it's going to be so different,' he said. He introduced Arsenal to his wife, who gave her name as Mrs Cheung, when the pair began dating more than a decade ago. Arsenal supporters seek autographs during the training session at Kai Tak. Photo: Elson Li The pair have happily forked out a total of HK$9,394 (US$1,197) for six tickets for Arsenal's clash with Tottenham Hotspur at the stadium on Thursday. 'I wasn't interested in football, but now I find it an amazing and attractive world,' Mrs Cheung said. 'Since we were together, he's been talking about when Arsenal would come to Hong Kong.'
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Tottenham Hotspur make low-key Hong Kong Football Festival entrance
Tottenham Hotspur made a relatively low-key entrance to the Hong Kong Football Festival on Tuesday, holding a public training session in front of 9,080 fans at Kai Tak Stadium. While the Europa League winners drew only around one-third of the 27,000 who watched Liverpool practice last Thursday, the Spurs devotees lapped up their 75 minutes of action. Stars including James Maddison, Richarlison and fan favourite Son Heung-min participated in various keep-ball games, before moving through some gruelling sprinting exercises and into a full game, played on half the pitch. Days after Liverpool captain Virgil Van Dijk criticised the surface, it again noticeably cut-up as players engaged in slick, condensed drills where they tried to keep the ball away from each other. Any sight of Son on the big screen generated excited screams, although the cheers gave way to jeers when the cameras picked out a fan wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the words 'I love Levy', in reference to the club's unpopular chairman Daniel Levy. Son Heung-min powers forwards as the Kai Tak playing surface shows signs of wear and tear. Photo: Elson Li Also captured on the large television was a youngster wearing a Liverpool shirt, a reminder of the Premier League champions' overwhelming popularity in Asia.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Could Son Heung-min play his last North London derby for Spurs in Hong Kong?
Tottenham Hotspur's new head coach Thomas Frank has praised the 'great character' of Son Heung-min amid speculation that his South Korean superstar could play his last North London derby in Hong Kong this week. Advertisement Los Angeles Football Club have emerged as front runners to sign Son, who has only one year left on his Spurs deal. The club are contractually obliged to field the 33-year-old in their friendly with Newcastle United in Seoul on Sunday. Before then, he is expected to feature when Tottenham play Arsenal at a sold-out Kai Tak Stadium as part of the Hong Kong Football Festival on Thursday. 'Right now, he is here, and we are happy with that,' Frank said at Kai Tak on Tuesday evening. 'He's showing great character, he's in the squad and he trained today. What I'm focusing on is that he is a Tottenham player.' Tottenham coach Thomas Frank during a pre-match press conference in Hong Kong. Photo: Elson Li Frank, who succeeded Ange Postecoglou as Spurs boss last month, said the trip to Hong Kong was a chance to win new fans.
Business Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Times
Hong Kong financial chief sees rebound in second-quarter retail sales
[HONG KONG] Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan said he expects a bounce-back in second-quarter private consumption, following more than 12 months of decline. Retail sales increased in May from a year earlier after 14 months of declines, Chan wrote in a blog post on Sunday (Jul 27), indicating early signs of market stabilisation. He said he was 'cautiously optimistic' on the outlook for June data. An increase in private consumption would be the first quarterly growth since the first quarter of 2024. Chan attributed the recovery to strong capital inflows, stabilisation in the stock and property markets, and large-scale events such as the Hong Kong Football Festival, which attracted international visitors. Tourism has also surged, with the city welcoming 23.6 million visitors in the first half of the year, a 12 per cent increase from a year earlier, according to the Hong Kong Tourism Board. The government is set to release the advance estimates for gross domestic product on Jul 31. The median forecast by economists is for 2.7 per cent growth, slowing from 3.1 per cent in the first quarter. BLOOMBERG
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
More top clubs tipped to follow Liverpool to Hong Kong, but Kai Tak pitch concerns remain
Two of the key figures in bringing 'some of the best football on the planet' to Hong Kong have indicated that marquee fixtures could become a staple of the city's sporting calendar. Kai Tak Stadium's ongoing Hong Kong Football Festival has received rave reviews from fans, managers and players. AC Milan beat Liverpool 4-2 in front of almost 50,000 supporters on Saturday, with Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur set to meet on Thursday. Organisers would have been alarmed, nonetheless, to hear Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk double down on his criticism of the pitch on Saturday, hours after Kai Tak Sports Park CEO John Sharkey had issued a robust defence of the surface. However, the arena's air conditioning has been a hit with players, and it allowed Milan and Liverpool to deliver a brisk, competitive contest. 'This demonstrates what the investment in Kai Tak has been about,' Sharkey said. 'It's hot and humid, but in climate-controlled conditions, we'll see some of the best football on the planet played in Hong Kong in the middle of July, in a way that couldn't have happened without this stadium. 'We're delighted to host this first festival of football, in line with the ambitions we had for this venue.'
