Hong Kong will select the “best team possible” for this month’s game against Manchester United, but football bosses said they were still negotiating the release of players based in mainland China.
Clubs from the Chinese Super League and China League One could be reluctant to cooperate for a fixture that falls outside the summer Fifa window, given they are in the early stages of their campaigns.
Four of Hong Kong’s 11 starters for an Asian Cup qualifier against Singapore in March were from CSL clubs, while another three from mainland teams came off the bench.
“Our head coach and his team will select the best players they can, it will be on a case-by case-basis, but we are definitely trying to get what we can,” Eric Fok Kai-shan, chairman of the Football Association of Hong Kong, China, said.
“We want the best team possible, it’s not only a fantastic opportunity to play a global club, and bring joy to fans and players, it’s a very serious match to prepare for our Asian Cup qualifier against India.”
Fok also downplayed any concerns over obtaining insurance for players whose club contracts expire this summer.
