Hong Kong striker Matt Orr said the East Asian Football Championship should face questions about its “timing and organisation”, but believed his side could only benefit from playing against the region’s better teams.
Winners Japan and South Korea, the hosts and runners-up, were both significantly understrength for the four-team tournament, which was staged outside an official Fifa international window.
Until those sides drew an 18,418 crowd for the decisive match on Tuesday, attendances were dismal. Hong Kong lost to Japan in front of 687 fans, while their 1-0 defeat by China attracted only 1,423. An audience of 5,521 watched Orr and his teammates get beaten 2-0 by South Korea.
All six games, over eight days, were played an hour south of Seoul in the remote Yongin Mireu Stadium, while in Yongin itself, the uninitiated would have had no idea international football was taking place in the city.
“The tournament can be questioned, the timing for one,” Orr said. “If it was in a Fifa window, clubs would have to release their players, and every team would be at their strongest.
“I don’t think it maximises resources and facilities for players and teams: the stadiums, training pitches and hotels, the overall package. If you want to do this competition properly, it could be improved altogether.”
