'Football cup strengthens ties between SAR and Saudi'

RTHK

2 days ago

'Football cup strengthens ties between SAR and Saudi'
A fan asks Al-Ahli goalkeeper Edouard Mendy to autograph a football jersey. Photo: RTHK
Hosting the Saudi Super Cup in Hong Kong will strengthen football ties between the SAR and Saudi Arabia and hopefully promote the sport in the city by giving fans a taste of 'international standard' games, local football officials said.
The city is hosting the annual football tournament this week, featuring four top clubs from the Saudi Pro League, for the first time.
Event organisers, alongside the Football Association of Hong Kong, China (HKFA), the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) and participating clubs, held a pre-tournament press conference at a hotel in Admiralty on Monday.
HKFA general secretary Charles Cheung expressed gratitude to SAFF for bringing the tournament to the SAR.
'This is a very formal competition," he said.
"We hope that this can give Hong Kong football some inspiration about what international standards are,' he said.
'We hope this tournament will help maintain a long-term relationship between the HKFA and the SAFF... We have four great teams from Saudi Arabia, and we would also like to bring some beautiful games to Hong Kong.'
SAFF deputy secretary general Ibrahim Alkabbaa said they have worked tirelessly to bring the tournament to Hong Kong and are excited to see it finally happening.
The tournament will kick off with Al-Nassr facing Al-Ittihad in the first semi-final on Tuesday, while Al-Qadsiah will take on Al-Ahli the following day to decide the other final spot at the Hong Kong Hong Kong Stadium.
The two semi-final winners will then clash in Saturday's final at the same venue.
Al-Ahli's goalkeeper Edouard Mendy said the team is happy to have the chance to play in front of SAR fans and that he's not too worried about the city's unpredictable weather.
'It's first time for a lot of us," Mendy said.
"But we are quite happy with the welcome we received. As I said, we're going to do everything to be ready in two days.
'Obviously, the weather is not great, but we can deal with that.'
Al-Ittihad captain Karim Benzema said he doesn't feel under pressure in facing off against former Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, who's now with Al-Nassr.
'I don't know if it's a challenge – I'm not playing against him. It's not a Karim versus Cristiano match. It's more like Al-Nassr versus Al-Ittihad. We'll see what happens on the pitch,' said the 2022 Ballon d'Or winner.
About 30 fans waited outside the hotel in the hope of meeting their football idols.
One of them, Owen Yiu, who brought jerseys and photos of Benzema, said he has been a supporter of the French forward for more than a decade.
'I'm a Real Madrid fan. I'm a die-hard fan of him, so I hope I can see him here," he said.
"He contributes a lot to the club, and the most impressive thing for me is his passion in the games.
"We've won many Champions League titles under his leadership. He's forever my idol.'
Ten-year-old Hayley carried a Cristiano Ronaldo jersey and said she would watch his match on TV.
'Ronaldo's gonna score a hat-trick, and I hope they win. Ronaldo's the [greatest of all time],' she said.