Latest news with #HongKongFootballFestival
South China Morning Post
7 hours 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
2 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
3 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.'
RTHK
3 days ago
- Sport
- RTHK
AC Milan stun Liverpool in HK Football Festival opener
AC Milan stun Liverpool in HK Football Festival opener The Rossoneri celebrate with the trophy at the Kai Tak Stadium. Photo: Reuters AC Milan held on to defeat English champions Liverpool 4-2 to open the Hong Kong Football Festival at the Kai Tak Stadium in dramatic fashion, as a record crowd of nearly 50,000 turned out to watch their heroes battle it out on the pitch. It didn't take long for the Italian side to make their presence felt, with Rafael Leao opening the scoring ten minutes into the match. But the Reds quickly drew level when Dominik Szoboszlai scored with a slick finish from the left in the 26th minute to the delight of the Liverpool faithful in the stadium. Both sides had a number of chances to pull ahead towards the end of the first half, but were unable to, and the score remained tied at the break. There was an emotional moment at the 20th minute mark, though, as fans in the crowd paid tribute to the late Liverpool star Diogo Jota, who was killed in a car crash earlier this month. The second half saw a far more electrified AC Milan team. Ruben Loftus-Cheek made it 2-1 in favour of the Rossoneri in the 52nd minute, before Noah Okafor doubled their advantage seven minutes later. From there, the Italian side never looked back – defending stoutly to deny Liverpool any chance of finding the net. Cody Gakpo spared Liverpool's blushes three minutes into stoppage time, but Okafor scored his second of the match for Milan two minutes later, to seal the victory. "It was nice to play against a Premier League team again," Loftus-Cheek said after the match. "Of course, Liverpool is fantastic and one of the best teams in the world, and it was a good test for us tonight." Still, he added, there was plenty of work to be done. "It's about feeling better physically, gelling as a team – there's a lot for us to improve on. But it was a good step for us tonight, a good performance. So we'll take that and move on." Despite the result, Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk said he believed there were plenty of positives to take away from the match going forward – particularly ahead of the FA Community Shield against Crystal Palace next month. "We have to keep better, keep making the next step, and keep getting fitter and fitter," he said. "We still have two, three more games to get ready for the Community Shield. We have to work our socks off, like I mentioned already last week. So we'll go for it." Manager Arne Slot, meanwhile, was quick to praise the electric energy fans brought to the Kai Tak Stadium. "Wherever we go in the world, if it was last season in the USA, or at Anfield, or we play our away games, or here in Hong Kong... everywhere we go feel so much support and love from the fans." He also commented on the turnout for the open training session at the same venue, which was held days prior to the match. "I don't think many clubs train in a stadium with 25,000 people watching a training session," he said with a smile. "So it tells you something about the club, but also about our fans. We're really happy to be here, and for the new players it's nice to see what this club means in the world." Liverpool's clash with AC Milan marked the first time in eight years the Premier League giants have visited the SAR, following their last appearance at the Hong Kong Stadium. The squad will next travel to Japan on the next stop of the Asia pre-season tour.
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong Football Festival: record crowd brings Kai Tak Stadium to life amid tourism boom
Nearly 50,000 fans packed into Kai Tak Stadium on Saturday for the first game of the inaugural Hong Kong Football Festival, providing a raucous atmosphere and highlighting what the city's leader had earlier called an energised tourism industry. Advertisement And after days of community events, fan visits and anticipation, the real business got under way, with Liverpool and AC Milan serving up the sort of pre-season clash Hong Kong has been starved of in recent years. A Noah Okafor double, plus goals from Rafael Leao and Ruben Loftus-Cheek earned Milan a 4-2 win in the Standard Chartered Trophy in front of a record 49,704 crowd. For Liverpool, Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo briefly gave their supporters something to cheer about. Either side of 90 minutes of action on the pitch, there was the traditional dragon dance before kick-off and fireworks after to celebrate the Italian side's triumph. For Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, the atmosphere would have further cemented his belief in the city's 'growing attractiveness in the international tourism market', even as he vowed to further innovate and make Hong Kong a 'preferred travel destination'. AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan could do nothing about Dominik Szoboszlai's equaliser. Photo: Elson Li Official figures on Saturday outlined just how much of an economic boon Kai Tak Sports Park has been, with the number of visitors to the city up 12 per cent year on year for the first six months of 2025.
