Typhoon Saola did minimal damage as it passed through Hong Kong, but it still managed to put a dent in Kitchee’s preparations for the start of the AFC Champions League.
The treble winners’ game against Eastern on Saturday was postponed because a No 8 signal was still in effect, depriving coach Alex Chu Chi-kwong and his team of vital playing time.
Another earlier match between Kwoon Chung Southern and Football Club at 3pm was also postponed.
With a Fifa playing window stopping domestic football for two weeks as Hong Kong play Cambodia and Brunei, Kitchee won’t play again until September 16, when they face Lee Man in the Premier League, just four days before their first match in the continental competition.
Their first game is against South Korean side Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, who are favourites to win Group F, and Chu said he needed as much time to prepare as possible for the “crucial match”.
“It’s always bound to happen that there is something out of your control and we will have to work out another plan to prepare for it,” Chu said.
Kitchee had also planned to give new signing Jakob Jantscher a run out against Eastern, but the head coach was not too concerned by his missing the game.
While some players will be away on international duty, the rest will continue training, meaning the former Austria star would have more time “to blend in” with his new teammates.
Despite being disappointed by the loss of the game, Chu was delighted that the storm had caused only minor damage to the Kitchee Training Centre in Shek Mun.
Five years ago, the entire centre was flooded and rendered unusable after Typhoon Mangkhut hit the city.
The centre had to be closed for six months as new turf was laid and barriers erected on its three sides to avoid possible flooding from the nearby Shing Mun River.
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