China–Hong Kong football rivalry

China-Hong Kong rivalry
Locale China and Hong Kong
Teams
First meeting 1978
Statistics
Most wins China
Largest victory China 7-0 Hong Kong

The China–Hong Kong football rivalry is a sports rivalry between the national association football teams of the People's Republic of China and Hong Kong.[1] The rivalry has been exacerbated by Hong Kong's status as a Special Administrative Region of China, which means that it does not practise communism as on the mainland, a legacy of having been under British rule until the transfer of sovereignty in 1997.[2]

History

China and Hong Kong have been playing each other in football matches since a friendly in Hong Kong in 1978.[3] In 1985, Hong Kong, then a British dependent territory, played China in the AFC First Round 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification group. The final match at Workers’ Stadium, Beijing meant China only needed to avoid defeat to progress and Hong Kong had to win. Despite this, Hong Kong won 2–1. In response, Chinese fans blocked the Hong Kong team from leaving and started rioting in China's first known case of football hooliganism.[4]

In 1997, Hong Kong was handed over from the United Kingdom to China but was permitted to continue to field a separate national football team under the terms of the Sino-British Joint Declaration despite its new status as a Special Administrative Region of China under the One Country, Two Systems policy.[5] In 2003, when China and Hong Kong were drawn together during the AFC 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification, former Chinese national football team manager, Bora Milutinovic stated: "This is incredible. How can China play Hong Kong? Hong Kong is China. They are the same country."[6] During this campaign, China won both matches: winning 1-0 in Hong Kong and 7-0 in China.[7]

2018 World Cup Qualifying

During 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying, China and Hong Kong were drawn in the same group for the second round. The political situation between the two countries had been made tenser by the Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong in 2014.[8] Prior to the first match in China, the Chinese Football Association released a poster calling the Hong Kong national football team "Hong Kong, China"[4] and stating "This team has players with black skin, yellow skin and white skin. Best to be on guard against such a multi-layered team!" in reference to the multi-racial Hong Kong national team. This was criticised as racist in Hong Kong.[8] In response Hong Kong fans in following matches started booing the Chinese national anthem "March of the Volunteers", played as Hong Kong's anthem since 1997 when it replaced "God Save the Queen".[9][10] As a result of the booing, FIFA fined the Hong Kong Football Association HK$ 40,000.[11]

The first fixture was at Bao'an Stadium, Shenzhen. Hong Kong fans were warned not to insult the Chinese flag or anthem to "endanger national security" at the risk of being arrested.[12] The match ended 0-0, where the People's Armed Police attended armed with riot control equipment.[13] On the day of the return match between Hong Kong and China at Mong Kok Stadium in Hong Kong, the 500 Chinese away fans were escorted from the border crossing at Shenzhen to the stadium and entering in a separate entrance while being abused by Hong Kong fans.[2] The Hong Kong Police had 1,300 officers, approximately one for every five spectators, on duty for the match.[14] Inside, the Chinese fans waved red flags, a symbol of communism which is not practiced in Hong Kong, and sung Chinese Communist songs. Hong Kong fans responded by chanting "We are Hong Kong" and held up banners saying "Hong Kong is not China" in English.[2] When "March of the Volunteers" was played, Hong Kong fans booed it while also turning their backs and holding up signs with "boo" written on them.[15] With the match ending in a 0-0 draw, the Chinese Football Association sacked manager Alain Perrin, something which the Hong Kong Football Association chairman, Brian Leung attributed to China's draws with Hong Kong.[16] Because of the booing of the Chinese national anthem, FIFA fined the Hong Kong Football Association HK$78,000 for a repeat offense.[17] In 2016 at Hong Kong's first home match for a year against the Cambodia national football team at Mong Kok Stadium, the Hong Kong fans continued to boo the Chinese national anthem.[18]

Club football

At club level, Hong Kong and Chinese teams rarely play each other. Chinese clubs had previously set up satellite teams to compete in Hong Kong. Starting with Dongguan Lanwa, who were then replaced after two years by Chinese Super League team Chengdu Blades' reserve team, Sheffield United.[19] In 2015, the Chinese Football Association changed their policy in that that Hong Kong players in the Chinese Super League would from 2016 be considered as foreign players rather than as "home players", this partially viewed in Hong Kong as being done because Hong Kong players were able to earn more money in China because they were classed as "home players" rather than foreigners despite to the Hong Kong Football Association's independence.[20] In 2016, Guangzhou F.C., after receiving approval from the Hong Kong Football Association, created R&F F.C. for their youth team to compete in the Hong Kong Premier League. There was an arrangement that the players would reside in Guangzhou but play their home matches in Hong Kong and that they had to field Hong Kong eligible players.[21] There was opposition to this, with the perception that the Chinese team were being given preferential treatment to compete in the Hong Kong Premier League ahead of local Hong Kong clubs.[19]

References

  1. ↑ "China, Hong Kong resume rivalry". FIFA. 2016-09-10. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
  2. 1 2 3 "Keep politics out of sport? Heaven forbid, as Hong Kong v China showed". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
  3. ↑ "Hong Kong national football team: record v China PR". 11v11.com. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
  4. 1 2 "Dark clouds loom over HK-China World Cup qualifier". Ejinsight.com. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
  5. ↑ "Team Dragon's Rise or Fall: How Will China Fare in Its World Cup Qualifiers?". CRI. 2015-04-21. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
  6. ↑ "Hong Kong and China to meet in one group". Associated Press. Retrieved 2016-09-16 – via HighBeam Research. (subscription required (help)).
  7. ↑ "Against all odds, Hong Kong hold China to 0-0 draw in World Cup qualifier". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
  8. 1 2 "Hong Kong-China: A growing football rivalry or just politics?". BBC News. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
  9. ↑ "Hong Kong Soccer Association fined after its fans boo Chinese anthem". New York Times. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
  10. ↑ Victoria Ho (2015-10-06). "FIFA fines Hong Kong for fans booing the Chinese national anthem". Mashable.com. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
  11. ↑ "HK fined by Fifa for fans booing Chinese anthem". BBC News. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
  12. ↑ "Hong Kong soccer fans told not to turn crucial World Cup game against China into a political football". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
  13. ↑ Pomfret, James (2015-09-04). "World Cup football qualifier exposes China-Hong Kong tensions". Reuters. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
  14. ↑ "HK v China World Cup qualifier made hotter by politics". The Straits Times. 2015-11-17. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
  15. ↑ "Boos, 'boo' signs for shared Chinese anthem in Hong Kong". Times of India. 2015-11-17. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
  16. ↑ "We played a big part: Hong Kong soccer chief says China's draws against 'little brother' led to Alain Perrin's downfall". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
  17. ↑ "Hong Kong Football Association fined again by Fifa for booing China national anthem". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2016-09-17.
  18. ↑ Post Magazine. "Fans again boo China national anthem as Hong Kong down Cambodia 4-2 in friendly at Mong Kok Stadium". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2016-09-24.
  19. 1 2 "Fans outraged as Chinese team Guangzhou R&F set to join Hong Kong Premier League". Hongkong Free Press. 2016-07-09. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
  20. ↑ "Hong Kong footballers' dismay as Chinese Football Association brands them foreigners, ruling out big-money transfers". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
  21. ↑ "'We want to be a Hong Kong club': China's Guangzhou R&F hope to win over local fans". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
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