Hong Kong’s footballers urged to qualify ‘properly’ for Asian Cup by beating Singapore
Coach Westwood says city’s team did not qualify by ‘normal channels’ for last edition, as they eye chance to do so at Kai Tak on Tuesday
Ashley Westwood has challenged Hong Kong to qualify “properly” for an Asian Cup finals after suggesting they sneaked through the back door to reach the last tournament.
The city’s team host Singapore in a cliffhanger match at a sold-out Kai Tak Stadium on Tuesday, knowing victory would book their ticket to Saudi Arabia in 2027, but a defeat would extinguish their qualification hopes.
Hong Kong ended their 55-year major-tournament exile when they finished runners-up to hosts India in a Covid-enforced truncated qualifying tournament to get to last year’s finals in Qatar.
“They didn’t qualify through normal channels and they lost 4-0 to India,” Hong Kong coach Westwood said. “If you look at proper campaigns, they’ve never qualified.
“This is a really good position to be in. I think this is the toughest group, but we haven’t lost and we have to build on that.”