Rangers query FA ‘secrecy’ as player is banned for a year over Covid-19 breach during drunken hotel saga
- Goalkeeper Lo Siu-kei did commit breach but had little part in alleged drinking and vandalism on under-23 trip, club says after he is banned from internationals
- Club calls on FA to ‘release all details of their investigation’ into the incident, for which 12 other players have received international bans
Hong Kong Rangers have called for greater transparency from the city’s FA after it banned goalkeeper Lo Siu-kei from international football for a year over a breach of Covid-19 rules in Japan.
Lo’s ban prompted Rangers to issue a lengthy statement calling on the FA disciplinary committee to end the “secrecy” surrounding events during the under-23 trip, and “release all details of their investigation”.
Lee Man’s 22-year-old midfielder Chang Hei-yi also received a year-long ban from internationals on Saturday in relation to the same incident.
Rangers said Lo had broken Covid-19 protocol, but backed his claim to have had little involvement in the other misdemeanours.
“According to the player, he had heard loud noises coming from a nearby hotel room and went in to check on his teammates out of concern,” the Rangers statement read.