Latest news with #Kai Tak Stadium
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong expected to gain HK$428 million economic boost from football festival
Hong Kong could reap as much as HK$428 million (US$54.5 million) in economic benefits from the city's eight-day football festival, experts have said, bringing about a windfall for sectors such as retail, hospitality and transport. Advertisement One hotel sector representative said his firm expected a 12 per cent increase in room rates over the event period compared with the same time last year, exceeding their original forecast of an 8 per cent rise. The Hong Kong Football Festival, which kicked off on Thursday, involves four major European clubs – Liverpool, AC Milan, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur – at Kai Tak Stadium. Organiser TEG Sport told the Post that more than 35,000 fans attended the open training sessions for Liverpool and AC Milan on Thursday and Friday. It said Saturday's match between the two clubs drew 49,704 people, the largest crowd for a live football match in Hong Kong. Advertisement 'We have seen incredible demand from Hong Kong football fans and those in mainland China and around the world,' TEG Sport managing director Rachael Carroll said.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wirtz makes first start as Liverpool lose to Milan
Liverpool's record signing Florian Wirtz made his first start for his new club as Arne Slot's side were beaten 4-2 by AC Milan at a sold-out Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong. However, there was no place for Darwin Nunez or Luis Diaz in the Reds squad amid speculation they could leave following the arrival of Hugo Ekitike and the pursuit of Newcastle United's Alexander Isak. Slot said after the game that Nunez missed the match because of injury but Colombia forward Diaz was left out as a result of "speculation on his future". Liverpool legend Sir Kenny Dalglish laid a wreath of flowers before kick-off and the players had 'Diogo J 20' on their shirts in tribute to their former team-mate Diogo Jota, who died in a car accident as he and his brother Andre Silva drove through the Spanish province of Zamora earlier this month. The Premier League champions dominated the opening 10 minutes but it was the Italian side who opened the scoring when a counter-attack ended with Rafael Leao smashing past Alisson Becker. Dominik Szoboszlai equalised with a fine curling strike into the top corner of Mike Maignan's goal from the edge of the box. England midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek restored Milan's lead early in the second half as the Reds were again caught short at the back and Noah Okafor made it 3-1 with a brilliant finish beyond Liverpool's new Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili. Cody Gakpo pulled one back in added time with a header from Ibrahima Konate's pinpoint ball into the box but an awful mix-up between Mamardashvili and Kostas Tsimikas allowed Okafor to net his second. Liverpool now travel to Japan and will play Yokohama F. Marinos on Wednesday. Wirtz comfortable in unusual role Wirtz, a £116m signing from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, filled a unfamiliar false nine role against Milan with Nunez and Diaz missing and new signing Ekitike not ready to play. The Germany playmaker had exciting 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha on his left and Mohamed Salah in his usual right wing position. Slot is expected to use Wirtz either as an attacking midfielder behind the striker or a narrow left-sided forward, but in Hong Kong he showed he was capable of linking the forward line from an advanced central role. His speed of thought and first touch kept him a step ahead of his opponents and opened up space for him to drive forward with the ball. There was disappointment when he did not re-emerge for the second half, but fans got a look at Liverpool's other new signings - right-back Jeremie Frimpong and left-back Milos Kerkez - as they were introduced at half-time. Liverpool plan Jota memorial sculpture at Anfield Hey big spenders - Liverpool lead top-four domination of £1bn deals Liverpool look short at the back News broke before kick-off that versatile defender Joe Gomez had flown back to England for work on an Achilles injury and that leaves Liverpool with just two fit senior centre-backs. Liverpool looked exposed in defence in both halves, with Virgil van Dijk starting the first period and Konate taking the captain's place in the second. In the absence of Gomez, Ryan Gravenberch started alongside Van Dijk at the heart of the defence, meaning the usual midfield shield was missing. Liverpool are already a central defender short after Jarell Quansah's transfer to Bayer Leverkusen, with Andrew Robertson used as a centre-back in the pre-season win at Preston North End and now it was the turn of another left-back, Tsimikas, to fill in. However Slot said: "I don't think we have a concern at centre-back. Ryan showed he can play that position - he did it well, although we favour him as a number six. "Wataru Endo can play there. So we have enough options but it is true that Jarell Quansah left and we haven't replaced him yet." With 12 months left on his contract, Liverpool have been linked with a move for Crystal Palace and England defender Marc Guehi this summer and Gomez's injury could increase that interest.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Wirtz makes first start as Liverpool lose to Milan
Liverpool's record signing Florian Wirtz made his first start for his new club as Arne Slot's side were beaten 4-2 by AC Milan at a sold-out Kai Tak Stadium in Hong there was no place for Darwin Nunez or Luiz Diaz in the Reds squad amid speculation they could leave following the arrival of Hugo Ekitike and the pursuit of Newcastle United's Alexander legend Sir Kenny Dalglish laid a wreath of flowers before kick-off and the players wore a 'Diogo J 20' emblem on their shirts in tribute to their former team-mate Diogo Jota, who died in a car accident earlier this Premier League champions dominated the opening 10 minutes but it was the Italian side who opened the scoring when a counter-attack ended with Rafael Leao smashing past Alisson Szoboszlai equalised with a fine curling strike into the top corner of Mike Maignan's goal from the edge of the midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek restored Milan's lead early in the second half as the Reds were again caught short at the back and Noah Okafor made it 3-1 with a brilliant finish beyond Liverpool's new Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Gakpo pulled one back in added time with a header from Ibrahima Konate's pinpoint ball into the box but an awful mix-up between Mamardashvili and Kostas Tsimikas allowed Okafor to net his now travel to Japan and will play Yokohama F. Marinos on Wednesday. Wirtz comfortable in unusual role Wirtz, a £116m signing from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, filled a unfamiliar false nine role against Milan with Nunez and Diaz missing and new signing Ekitike not ready to Germany playmaker had exciting 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha on his left and Mohamed Salah in his usual right wing is expected to use Wirtz either as an attacking midfielder behind the striker or a narrow left-sided forward, but in Hong Kong he showed he was capable of linking the forward line from an advanced central speed of thought and first touch kept him a step ahead of his opponents and opened up space for him to drive forward with the was disappointment when he did not re-emerge for the second half, but fans got a look at Liverpool's other new signings - right-back Jeremie Frimpong and left-back Milos Kerkez - as they were introduced at half-time. Liverpool look short at the back News broke before kick-off that versatile defender Joe Gomez had flown back to England for work on an Achilles injury and that leaves Liverpool with just two fit senior looked exposed in defence in both halves, with Virgil van Dijk starting the first period and Ibrahima Konate taking the captain's place in the the absence of Gomez, Ryan Gravenberch started alongside Van Dijk at the heart of the defence, meaning the usual midfield shield was are already a central defender short after Jarell Quansah's transfer to Bayer Leverkusen, with Andrew Robertson used as a centre-back in the pre-season win at Preston North End and now it was the turn of another left-back, Tsimikas, to fill 12 months left on his contract, Liverpool have been linked with a move for Crystal Palace and England defender Marc Guehi this summer and Gomez's injury could increase that interest.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Liverpool beaten 4-2 by AC Milan in Hong Kong pre-season friendly
Former Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek scored as Premier League champions Liverpool were beaten 4-2 by AC Milan on Saturday in a pre-season friendly in Hong Kong. Liverpool, with record signing Florian Wirtz making his first start, dominated possession under the closed roof at Kai Tak Stadium but a shaky defence was punished for all four Milan goals. Rafael Leao opened the scoring for the Italian side on 10 minutes with Dominik Szoboszlai's superb strike equalising 16 minutes later to make it 1-1 at half-time But Loftus-Cheek, six minutes after the break, and two goals from substitute Noah Okafor, either side of Cody Gakpo's late header, gave AC Milan the victory. Liverpool's Hong Kong fans vastly outnumbered those supporting AC Milan in the 49,704 sellout crowd. They paid a heartfelt tribute to Diogo Jota, who passed away earlier this month in a car crash. Flowers were laid by Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish in front of fans, who responded by holding up a mosaic spelling out "DJ20" in honour of Jota's number 20 shirt, which has been retired by the club. Leao, too, remembered his fellow Portuguese player Jota as he offered a silent prayer and formed the number 20 with his fingers after scoring the opener. Wirtz played 45 minutes and looked comfortable directing operations, showing hints of why Bayer Leverkusen were paid a reported British transfer record $150 million for the German playmaker. Other new Liverpool signings left-back Milos Kerkez and right-back Jeremie Frimpong both came on as substitutes at half-time. But Striker Hugo Ekitike, who was signed from Entracht Frankfurt for a reported $92 million, was not ready to take part, having only flown in to join his new teammates two days earlier. Liverpool started without a recognised central striker as Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz, who have both been linked to move away from Anfield, were left out of the matchday squad. Liverpool will now fly to Japan to face Yokohama F-Marinos on Wednesday. Liverpool revealed earlier that full-back Joe Gomez had flown home for treatment on a minor Achilles problem. dh/dhc
South China Morning Post
21-07-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong police primed to support future tourism and mega-event ambitions
Hong Kong's police chief has said that the force is fully prepared to support the hosting of more mega-events in the city, given its experience of crowd control gained at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming said their preparations for the opening of the main stadium in Kai Tak Sports Park had equipped officers to manage a greater number of major events, emphasising the force's commitment to spectator satisfaction. 'Every time after the events or before the events, we've seen a lot of smiley faces. This is what we really treasure,' Chow told the Post. Before becoming police chief, Chow served as deputy commissioner for operations and was a member of an interdepartmental task force responsible for the smooth operation of Kai Tak Sports Park. He organised various drill exercises to simulate crowd control and traffic conditions in the lead-up to its March opening. Beyond backing the government's initiative to host more mega-events, the police chief also expressed support for increasing public access to the force's old Yau Ma Tei Police Station, which has become a popular photo opportunity for mainland Chinese tourists. The station, housed in a colonial building, is one of the government's nine 'hotspot projects' aimed at boosting in-depth tourism in Hong Kong.
