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Hong Kong Premier League: Tai Po turn to title-winning coach Lee as sponsors Wofoo cut ties
- Lee Chi-kin left the club in 2019 after leading the team to their first league title
- After a stint with Eastern, which included a cup double in 2020, Lee returns to help revitalise a side that finished near the bottom last season
When Lee Chi-kin left Tai Po he had just led them to the club’s first and only Hong Kong Premier League title, four years later he is back as head coach with the task of revitalising a side that finished near the bottom last season and has just lost its main sponsor.
Lee takes charge of a first team that had just 15 players available when he joined, and although he has added another five, including Hong Kong international Phillip Chan Siu-kwan, there is still plenty of work to be done.
But the 55-year-old, who has strong ties to the club having coached in its youth set-up when he first started out, and also lived in the area for a long time, said he was happy to be back.
“There are no doubt some changes have happened since we won the championship but I am happy to have the opportunity again, especially it’s with Tai Po which is a team with strong bonds among the players and a good atmosphere,” Lee said.
In many ways though, Lee is returning to the situation he left after the title triumph, when a cut in budget led to him joining Eastern, who he won a cup double with in 2020, before being replaced the following year by Roberto Losada and made director of football.
But despite the loss of long-term sponsors Wofoo Foundation, the club said a budget of HK$7 million had still been set aside.
While returning to coaching had always been Lee’s goal, he is back with a club that is no longer able to challenge the likes of Kitchee, Lee Man or Eastern at the top of the table.
“I was told there were only 15 players when I signed the papers to rejoin Tai Po,” he said. “Of course this is not enough for a professional team and therefore I tried to secure more players.
“Now we have 20, but it is still not ideal as players can get injured and be ruled out of competition at any time.”
Chan’s return the club he won a title with in 2019 will at least bolster the midfield, while Lee has also added Brazilian centre-half Marcos dos Santos he admitted he needed players “who can start immediately and help the team”.
The Hong Kong international, who won the title with Kitchee before moving to Capital Resources last season, said he had some other offers during the off-season but had always maintained contact with his old coach.
“I am now a more matured player and my experience can certainly help the team and the younger generation players,” Chan said. “Tai Po can still be a quality side as we have some good potential local players and if the foreign players can help, we are in no fear of anybody as we know the gap between all Premier League team is not that big.”
Tai Po plan to travel to South Korea early next month for a training camp, where they will play games against some league teams, before returning for plus three more friendlies in Hong Kong ahead of the new season kicking off in mid-August.
When Lee Chi-kin left Tai Po he had just led them to the club’s first and only Hong Kong Premier League title, four years later he is back as head coach with the task of revitalising a side that finished near the bottom last season and has just lost its main sponsor.
Lee takes charge of a first team that had just 15 players available when he joined, and although he has added another five, including Hong Kong international Phillip Chan Siu-kwan, there is still plenty of work to be done.
But the 55-year-old, who has strong ties to the club having coached in its youth set-up when he first started out, and also lived in the area for a long time, said he was happy to be back.
“There are no doubt some changes have happened since we won the championship but I am happy to have the opportunity again, especially it’s with Tai Po which is a team with strong bonds among the players and a good atmosphere,” Lee said.
In many ways though, Lee is returning to the situation he left after the title triumph, when a cut in budget led to him joining Eastern, who he won a cup double with in 2020, before being replaced the following year by Roberto Losada and made director of football.
But despite the loss of long-term sponsors Wofoo Foundation, the club said a budget of HK$7 million had still been set aside.
While returning to coaching had always been Lee’s goal, he is back with a club that is no longer able to challenge the likes of Kitchee, Lee Man or Eastern at the top of the table.
“I was told there were only 15 players when I signed the papers to rejoin Tai Po,” he said. “Of course this is not enough for a professional team and therefore I tried to secure more players.
“Now we have 20, but it is still not ideal as players can get injured and be ruled out of competition at any time.”
Chan’s return the club he won a title with in 2019 will at least bolster the midfield, while Lee has also added Brazilian centre-half Marcos dos Santos he admitted he needed players “who can start immediately and help the team”.
The Hong Kong international, who won the title with Kitchee before moving to Capital Resources last season, said he had some other offers during the off-season but had always maintained contact with his old coach.
“I am now a more matured player and my experience can certainly help the team and the younger generation players,” Chan said. “Tai Po can still be a quality side as we have some good potential local players and if the foreign players can help, we are in no fear of anybody as we know the gap between all Premier League team is not that big.”
Tai Po plan to travel to South Korea early next month for a training camp, where they will play games against some league teams, before returning for plus three more friendlies in Hong Kong ahead of the new season kicking off in mid-August.