Hong Kong, China and a footballing dilemma - BBC Sport

Beijing's increasing influence has led to speculation that Hong Kong's days of an independent football scene are numbered.

Booing your own anthem - Hong Kong and a dilemma

Image source, Getty ImagesJohn DuerdenBBC SportOn 1 January Hong Kong beat China in a football game for the first time in almost 30 years.

Actually, the official result of the pre-Asian Cup warm-up was Hong Kong, China 2-1 China.

The name of Hong Kong’s team changed in 2023 and, amid increasing control of the territory from Beijing, has led to speculation that the days of an independent football scene in the former British colony are numbered.

"It is inevitable that at some stage in the future the Hong Kong Football Association [HKFA] will cease to exist as an independent member of Fifa," Mark Sutcliffe, the HKFA chairman from 2012 to 2018, tells BBC Sport.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c9ezpy0ryk0o

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