More top clubs tipped to follow Liverpool to Hong Kong, but Kai Tak pitch concerns remain
Kai Tak Stadium CEO and organisers praise football festival, saying Hong Kong is ‘very attractive for promoters’
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.”